


D-Fibers

by Tatsurou



Category: Highschool DxD (Anime), Kill la Kill (Anime & Manga)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-07-04 00:38:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 46,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15830184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsurou/pseuds/Tatsurou
Summary: When Honnouji Academy fell, Ryuko and her friends thought that was the end of their troubles, that they could move on to pursue their dreams.  Unfortunately, due to a computer mishap and the rest of the world 'forgetting' the Life Fiber conflict, their school records are gone.  So they need to go back to school...at Kuoh Academy.  Their troubles are just beginning.





	1. Chapter 1

He floated in the ether, confused.  He had somehow become detached from his host without awakening. This was not supposed to happen...unless his host had died.  But that should not happen before awakening.  The powers he and his rival carried warped fate around their wielders, ensuring they would bring great effect upon the world.  By that warping, events would shape so they would _not_ die without awakening, and after the power was always enough that only one could kill the other.  For him to be detached without awakening...curious.

He sensed for his host...and could not find him.  Instead, all he found was a web of...threads?  Fibers?  They glowed with energy unfamiliar to him, and still Sleeping as he was he lacked the cognitive capability to analyze.  All he could do was follow the fibers, seeking his host.

As he floated along the web, he encountered other artifacts.  They lacked his awareness, but had the same type of power.  They did not flow, but remained stationary.  Apparently, they were remaining by their hosts, and by moving he'd lost track of his.  ...irrelevant.  If his host fell prey to this, then he wasn't a worthy host.  He would find a host that was worthy-

There it was.  A shock through the web, the entire network flinching back from the force.  He raced for the source.  That power was the one that would be worthy-

"People are people and clothing is clothing!"

...he had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but the sheer power behind it told him this was _exactly_ who he was looking for.  Through her connection to the web as it unraveled, he dove into her aura.  Her power...it wasn't entirely human, and yet it drew him in, designed to take new power into itself and incorporate it.

It would take time to adapt and adjust, time before he awakened...but when it happened, then his rival would be in for a surprise...

* * *

 "What do you mean, we have no records?"

Ryuko groaned and rubbed her eyes as she heard that high pitched shriek.  She had not gotten back until quite late the night before, and despite her life no longer being anywhere near as intense as it had been, she didn't fall asleep very easily.  In point of fact, she actually had a harder time getting asleep - and staying asleep - now that the only thing she had to worry about was what she would do with her life instead of hunting down her father's killer...and all the rest of the craziness that had gone along with it.

An adorable mewling drew her attention down to a particular source of craziness.  From her present angle, all she could see of her girlfriend - as odd as it felt to think of her best friend that way even if they were dating now - was a brown ball of hair burrowing into her chest as arms wrapped tighter around her.  "Make Jaku-shempai be quite, Ryuko-chan..." she mumbled sleepily, burrowing in deeper in the sleepy cuddle.

Sighing and rolling her eyes with a smile, Ryuko lowered her arm back around Mako to relax.  The scream had hopefully been from further away in the residence than it sounded, and if it concerned her it would be brought to her attention gently-

The door quickly slammed open as a heeled boot struck the floor with an echoing clack.  Ryuko didn't need the blaze of light that filled the room to know who that was.  "Nee-san, it's too early..." she complained in a grumble as she burrowed under the pillow and blankets.  "Cut the light show at least..."

"You need to get up now, Ryuko," Satsuki responded calmly, not bothering to wait for Ryuko to roll over since she knew she wouldn't.  As the 'light show' of her entrance faded, she knelt down beside the bed.  "Even if it weren't past noon, you would need to get up now."

"Past noon?" Ryuko grumbled under her breath.  "...whatever..."  She tried to burrow deeper into the covers.

Satsuki sighed softly.  "...Mankanshoku-san is making her Mystery Croquettes-"

"Croquettes!" Ryuko and Mako shouted together as they leapt out of the covers, both still in their pajamas as they rushed for the dining room.

Satsuki furrowed her brow in irritation.

"You really shouldn't be surprised," Inumuta Hoka told her as he stepped in behind her, the top of his jacket snapping shut over his mouth once his words finished, only to snap back open as he spoke again.  "Neither of them have ever been the sort to respond to new developments enthusiastically unless it involved food or a fight."

"Or both," Satsuki allowed, remembering what had happened at the first meal at this new residence she'd acquired for the entire group that was there: herself, her sister, the former Elite Four of Honnouji Academy, Shiro Iori, and the Mankanshoku family.  It was meant to be a fresh start for the group as they moved on with their lives beyond the Life Fiber conflict.  It had taken Gamagori an hour to clean up the mess.  "Are you sure about what you found?"

"I'm afraid so," Inumuta admitted.  "For some reason, there are no records of anyone's schooling at Honnouji Academy, nor of its connections to the other schools of Japan.  On top of that, due to the lingering after effects of the neutralized Nativity, there are no official records - or memories - of that event either...or even of the Kiryuin family, somehow."  He straightened his glasses nervously.  "So if we want to pursue our goals for our future, most of us...will need to re-enroll in high school."

"Most of us?" Satsuki inquired incisively.

"Ira Gamagori is too old to enroll in high school at this point, and will have to make due as is," Inumuta admitted ruefully.  "As for the rest of us..."

"Finding a school that we'll be able to be comfortable at will be difficult," Satsuki observed idly.  "Even if they won't remember us because of the long term effects of the Life Fibers, we will remember what we did there..."

"Actually," Inumuta began carefully, "I have found one school that...is not one we conquered during our endeavors.  It somehow was...overlooked."

Satsuki's eyes narrowed as she turned to face Inumuta.  "Really now?" she asked coldly.  "That alone bears...investigation."

Inumuta nodded firmly.  "I shall enroll us immediately," he confirmed as he pulled out his laptop.


	2. Chapter 2

"So let me fee if I've got thif ftraight," Ryuko spoke up around a mouthful of croquette before swallowing.  "We're going back to school again?"

"That is the situation," Satsuki observed calmly as she ate in a more controlled, respectable fashion.  She carefully observed her sister for any sign of negative reaction.  "You...seem to be taking this news far better than Nonon did."

"Satsuki-san!" the diminutive pink-haired girl sitting beside her whined as she ate, only to glare as the lanky, green-haired young tough next to her chuckled.  "Shut up, monkey!"

"It's not like this should come as a surprise to anyone," Uzu Sangeyama joked as he warded off Nonon's hostility.  "Since when has anything we've tried to accomplish been easy?  Did we really expect 'being normal' to be any different?"

"That's about how I saw things," Ryuko admitted easily as she sprawled back, her empty bowl sitting on the table as she patted her full stomach.  "Thanks for the meal, Mankanshoku-san!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Mako's mother offered warmly as she continued to fight with her husband, children, and dog over what hadn't been claimed by others of the expansive - if limited in variety - repast.

Turning back to her sister, Ryuko shrugged.  "So we gotta get a normal education before we go looking for work.  I'm fine with that.  And it's not like we actually got _job skills_ with everything else that was going on, now did we?"

Satsuki's mouth twitched ever so slightly downward as she attempted to suppress a frown.  After all, with the Kiryuin family's impact on the world forgotten, she was down to what was in her personal accounts, which wouldn't last forever.  As glad as she was to be without the specter of her mother overshadowing her endeavors, combat skills alone were not going to earn her a living, or get her a job where her natural commanding presence would do her any good.  She was _not_ going to settle for Franchise Manager of a fast food joint, which was the best she would be able to get without records showing her talents.  "A valid point," she admitted ruefully.

"I fon' fee why iff fo bad!" Mako declared excitedly with her mouth full.  She then attempted to speak further, only for her words to be garbled as she continued to stuff her face, continuing to attempt to speak as she began to gesticulate crazily while somehow making her outfit change at random.  Satsuki raised her eyebrow.

"She says that she is looking forward to enjoying her high school years again with more friends, a girlfriend, and not having to fear for her life every day," the giant to Satsuki's other side translated as he calmly ate.  "...though in far more words."

"You understand her when she's garbled like that?" Ryuko asked Ira in surprise.

The former Disciplinary Committee head turned to stare at Ryuko, even his amicable expression managing to be intimidating.  "You may be romantically involved with her now, Ryuko Matoi, but I have known her for far longer than you have."

"She managed to survive Honnouji Academy that long on her own before I got there?" Ryuko gasped in surprise.  "How?"

Uzu and Nonon smirked.  Houka's eyes turned towards Ira with an amused glint.  Gamagoori refused to meet anyone's eyes.

"Gamagoori-san has a thing for lost puppies!" Mako offered happily once her mouth was empty.  "No idea why he said that so often, though."  Ryuko promptly burst into laughter.  "Or why that's so funny.  Come on, Ryuko-chan, share the joke!"

"So where are we going, anyway?" Uzu demanded crisply once he had his fill of everyone being amused at the giant's unexpected softer side.  "Satsuki-sama never brings up a problem unless she already has a solution."

"There is a particular high school that somehow escaped involvement in our takeover attempt," Houka explained calmly, the top of his jacket snapping open and shut as he spoke.  "Up until recently it was an all girl's school, but it recently went co-ed.  It's systems had...unusual security, but I have already enrolled most of us.  We will begin next week, which will give us time to acquire uniforms and otherwise prepare ourselves for attending a school where we are _not_ in charge."

"That'll be a sight to see," Ryuko joked playfully.  Her frown quickly faded, however.  "Wait...uniforms?"

"Yes," Houka confirmed calmly.  "The school has a uniform dress code that we will need to abide by.  The girls' uniform is a white button down long-sleeve shirt, black ribbon, shoulder cape and corset, and a magenta skirt.  The boy's uniform is far simpler - likely due to how recently the doors were opened to boys - being a white dress shirt with black blazer and pants.  Simple enough for all of us to acquire."

Ryuko lowered her eyes thoughtfully.  "...yeah..." she murmured quietly.  She turned to stare out the window, her eyes towards the sky.

Satsuki noticed her change in behavior instantly.  "Before we do anything else, Ryuko, Shiro has a present for you, to help you get started."

"...oh?" Ryuko asked curiously.

"He's downstairs," Satsuki stated firmly as she stood up.  "Come along."

* * *

Down in the basement, Ryuko was unsurprised to see that Shiro Iori was exactly as he'd been at Honnouji Academy, his blond hair dangling around his orange breathing mask, the rest of his body concealed in a white lab coat.  He blinked in surprise when he saw the two sisters arrive.  "Satsuki-sama...are you certain?" he asked in concern.

"I'm certain," Satsuki responded firmly.  "You have it in the right pattern?"

Shiro nodded.  "And Houka's already filed everything to slip it by."

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Ryuko demanded curtly.  "I know what Shiro's into, and I was honestly hoping this-"  She gestured disdainfully to a few small looms where glowing pink fibers were stretched, their glows far fainter than what she'd seen before.  "-part of my life was over and done with."  Her eyes quivered as she said that, but she quickly tensed herself against it.

Shiro sighed.  "I suppose I should start at the beginning.  When you fell from space, I...found something that fell with you."  Reaching to a sealed container, he input a few command keys.  With a hiss of steam, the container slowly opened, revealing three threads like those stretched on the looms, but glowing pale grey and seeming dead.

Ryuko flinched back as she saw the threads, clutching at her chest as though in pain.  "Are...are those..."

"From Senketsu, yes," Shiro offered apologetically.  "I've been...researching them ever since-"

Ryuko suddenly lunged forward, only Satsuki's instant grasp on her keeping her from throttling the weaving scientist.  "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" she screamed out, agony in her voice.  "You've kept them down here, right under my nose, and-!  And-!"

Shiro waited until Ryuko's cries quieted, then spoke again.  "At first, because I wanted to see if I could revive them before telling you of it."  Seeing that froze Ryuko, he nodded.  "Yes.  They still have Senketsu's energy imprint, and the neural imprint derived from yours that made him so...unique, but there's no _life_ in these Fibers.  Despite my efforts, I couldn't find a way to do so...and then you moved on, and I didn't want to bring that pain back.  I wanted to leave you with your closure, so I continued my research in silence."  He turned to the threads.  "I learned quite a bit from them.  I doubt if I'll ever be skilled enough to weave a Kamui, or have enough active Life Fibers to make the attempt...but I did learn how to imprint individual Life Fibers with a human neural pattern.  And...that's why Satsuki-sama brought you down here.  While I only found four threads-"

"Four?" Ryuko demanded in shock.  "I only see three!  What did you do with the fourth?!"

Smiling, Shiro opened another container, revealing a uniform.  It looked like the design that had been described for the new school in pattern, but in black and red rather than white, black, and magenta.  "A medical note about the sensitivity of your skin to 'certain fabric aspects' meant we could give you a custom color uniform, even if it had to follow the new pattern.  It has 5% Life Fibers mixed in, which won't boost your combat abilities at all..."  His smile turned into a smirk.  "But it _does_ make it self repairing, which I'm sure you'll need."

"Hey!" Ryuko snapped out angrily, but paused as she saw something that froze her.  At the ends of the ribbon were two shapes in the design that looked like eyes, but crossed out as though permanently closed.

"I used the fourth thread as the Banshi," Shiro offered softly.  "Satsuki-sama and I didn't think you'd be comfortable wearing a uniform that...wasn't in some way him."  Carefully, he took the folded cloth and handed it to her.

Ryuko took the uniform from him and held it close, keeping her eyes closed to hold back gentle tears.  "...thank you..." she whispered softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryuko sighed softly to herself as she walked towards her new school.  Her new uniform hung over her frame, fitting it rather snugly as it was designed to, drawing attention to her curves in ways that no outfit she'd ever worn before did.  She tried to ignore that, but she couldn't help but observe that - somehow - the closed eyes on the outfit had migrated to the blouse just under the shoulder cape, causing said cape to shade them like eyelids.  She wasn't sure whether she found the fact it happened more amusing, or Iori's flabbergasted expression when it was called to his attention.

Her sister Satsuki walked to her left, looking phenomenal as she always did in the new outfit, her short black hair framing her head perfectly and taking away none of the inherent majesty she exuded when she walked with her usual confidence.  On Ryuko's right, Mako practically bounced along, her handbag swinging back and forth on the outside, an irrepressible smile on her face as she hummed along to something she was listening to on a music player that Nonon had given her as a housewarming gift.  Officially, it was to open her to the world of music.  Unofficially, it was to get her to shut up while listening.  Both had failed, from Nonon's perspective, as Mako found joy in songs Nonon would barely qualify as music and sung aloud to it whenever she forgot she had headphones in.

Nonon walked at Satsuki's other side, the diminutive pink-haired girl still managing to look like a pixie in the uniform of the new school.  She had a flute case in addition to her handbag, and seemed rather put out.  This was likely due to Satsuki's insistence that she only bring _one_ musical instrument with her until she was actually part of a music club at the new school, and only if she were playing more _in_ the club.  Uzu walked on Nonon's other side, his jacket hanging open and his bamboo sword resting on his shoulder.  Despite several comments about the attention it would draw, he insisted on carrying it openly.

Hoka had left for school several hours before, when the sun wasn't even up.  He was apparently planning on meeting them at the school, after he'd set up whatever 'security' and 'observation' gear he felt he needed for while they were there.  Ryuko had pointed out the trouble he'd get in if he was caught or if his devices were discovered...and finally broken the silence when everyone stared at her over that.  She was not happy about that bit.

She did turn her eyes back to where Ira walked behind the group, hulking over them more literally than usual as he was dressed in a bright green track suit.  "So why are you coming with us, anyway?" she asked curiously.  "I thought you were too old for high school and were getting a job?"

"I did," Ira responded readily.  "I'm Kuoh Academy's new gym teacher and guidance counselor."

Ryuko struggled not to laugh as she imagined him hulking over a desk asking terrified students what they intended to do with their lives.  She failed.  "Invest in stain remover or plastic chair covers!" she finally managed to gasp out, causing Nonon to laugh teasingly as well.

"I have brought plenty," Ira responded readily, which set Uzu off in laughter.

"We're all gonna be there?" Mako squealed excitedly.  "Oh, this song's perfect for today, Ryuko-chan!"  Pulling out one of her earbuds, she promptly shoved it into Ryuko's ear.

Ryuko rolled her eyes.  Had it been anyone but her, that level of force would likely have damaged her ears if not torn it off.  But having long adapted to the level of force Mako casually used without thinking, her Life Fibers automatically responded to her closeness by toughening anything she touched just in case she could manage to clear her natural damage resistance.  She relaxed as she listened to the song begin.

_Four years, you think for sure_

_That's enough to endure_

She chuckled as she recognized the song.  "Yeah, it does fit," she observed, finding herself able to relax now as they approached the school gates.  The school itself didn't look at all unusual, rather generic as far as Japanese High Schools went, with the only thing of interest being an older school building at one corner of the grounds that showed signs of recent use...and seemed to have an odd energy around it.  Something about it set off Ryuko's instincts...

...so she promptly decided to ignore it.  She wasn't going to go looking for trouble.  She was going to enjoy high school with her girlfriend, her sister, and her entourage _without_ trying to solve every mystery that showed up.  An almost all-girls school with a few boys involved was going to be complicated enough without turning over every unusual rock she came across.  She parted ways with the rest of the group with a smile as they headed for their various classes.  Nonon was in first year, Satsuki and Sageyama were in third year, and the rest of them were in second year...though Ryuko and Mako were in one class while Hoka was in another.  It would be...nice sharing a class with Mako again.  She'd have to make sure she got a seat next to her, to make sure she didn't fall asleep in class again.

* * *

Nonon calmly made her way into her class.  She was confident in herself, but could already see she was going to be one of the smallest students in the class.  While this didn't intimidate her at all, she knew if she wanted to establish herself, trying to dominate the class right off the bat would probably get her laughed at and turned into the school laughing stock.  As such, she was glad to see one of the students was closer to her size, a hazel-eyed, white-haired girl who was almost the same size as herself.  Walking up to her, however, Nonon discovered - much to her frustration - that the girl was slightly taller than her without the platforms she was used to wearing.  Steeling herself against it, she made an effort to be friendly.  "Hi!" she greeted warmly.  "I'm Nonon Jakuzure.  I'm new to the school.  Pleased to meet you!"  She held out her hand eagerly.

The girl looked at her silently, no expression on her face, before hopping off the desk she was sitting on.  "Koneko Toujou," she offered in a quiet monotone.  "I'm glad to have you here."

"You are?" Nonon asked in surprise.  "Why?"

The girl looked down at Nonon, and then at herself, before crossing her arms under her relatively small bust.  "I'm not the smallest in the school anymore," she said simply, pushing her arms together.  "In more ways than one."

Nonon let out an angry squawk as the rest of the class tittered.  This was _not_ how she wanted things to start, and it was taking all her self control not to punch the pale girl.

* * *

Hoka frowned behind his popped collar where it closed around his mouth.  He'd already taken his seat in his class, and he was keeping his eyes on the only student in the class that proved...interesting.  Yuuto Kiba was blonde haired, blue eyed, handsome, gallant, and well mannered...and seemed completely oblivious to the fact that nearly every girl in his year was head over heels for him.  However, none of this interested Hoka so much as the fact that he was the first male student enrolled in the school...and the timing seemed to indicate that the school was opened to let males enroll _specifically_ so he could enroll.  He was also a member of the Occult Research Club, which seemed to have all the students that everyone swooned over as members.  Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Koneko Toujou...and Yuuto Kiba.  On top of that, they held their meetings in the old school building, the one that gave off the odd energy readings...the one that none of his observation devices functioned in.

And on top of that, his observations had shown Yuuto seeming to...vanish when no one was looking.  It was...interesting.  He would continue to observe before reporting his findings to Lady Satsuki.  After all, it wouldn't be until lunch at the earliest that he had a chance to meet with her...no, make that after school.  She would be establishing herself at the school, and would not be using her lunch time to establish either connections or dominance.  That was her way.

* * *

The air in the classroom remained tense.  Satsuki and Uzu had stepped in, the clack of her heel heralding her arrival echoed by Uzu's sword point clacking against the floor as he braced himself on it.  Across the classroom were a pair of voluptuous beauties who were the focus of the class's attentions, one with hair as black as midnight, the other's hair red as blood.  The four were now staring each other down, and the tension of the confrontation had left everyone else in the classroom - teacher included - afraid to say anything to disturb the stand off.  The slightest shift could spark an intense confrontation, or a peaceful meeting, and it was anyone's guess which way that would go.

* * *

Ryuko sighed as she slumped into her chair.  She could feel something odd was going on in the school, forces just waiting to explode into a conflict as big as anything she encountered at Honnoji Academy...and she wasn't anywhere near it.  She didn't know whether to be frustrated or relieved.  On top of that, there were three boys in her class she'd already pegged as total perverts, and had ignored their attempts at getting a 'look' at her and Mako since she could see the bruises other girls had inflicted on them still fading.  If things remained this boring, maybe it would be Mako keeping _her_ awake in class-

"Ryuko-chan!" Mako squealed out excitedly as she dive-tackled her, only Ryuko's natural toughness and stiffening up in response keeping the smaller girl from knocking her out of her chair.  Mako'd cleared three desks in that leap.

Rolling her eyes, she returned the embrace with one arm as she braced herself with the other.  "What's got you so excited, Mako-chan?" she asked curiously.

"I made some new friends!" Mako declared happily, gesturing to...the three perverted boys.

"Seriously?" one of the other girls in class declared in shock.  "Why would you befriend those perverts?"

"Because Motohama here-" Mako declared as she hopped onto a desk next to the one in glasses, pointing down at him from above.  "-reminds me of Papa!  And Matsuda here-"  She leapt onto the back of the taller other boy, who seemed somewhat muscular and kept his hair close shaved.  "-reminds me of Mataro!"

Ryuko couldn't help but chuckle.  She did see something of a resemblance in the way the pair carried themselves.  And when she glanced at the way the third boy looked somewhat whipped, having taken the majority of the beatings plainly-

"And Issei here reminds me of Guts!" Mako concluded as she hugged him from one side with one arm while patting his head with her other hand.

Ryuko refused to explain why she fell over laughing.  She wasn't entirely sure why it was that funny, but it seemed somehow appropriate.


	4. Chapter 4

As Ryuko had expected, she found herself slumped over her desk barely staying awake as the days passed.  In addition to it proving difficult to focus on classwork for classwork's sake, Mako was managing to focus quite well on it...possibly trying to be good enough for both of them.  This wasn't to say Mako was always getting the right answers, but she was certainly putting more effort into it then Ryuko herself was.  Admittedly, Motohama was always happy to share notes with the pair - probably just happy that a pair of 'hot girls' was willing to talk to him without hostility or trying to bash his skull in - so Ryuko's academics weren't exactly _suffering_...

But normal school was just so dull!  Everyone else seemed to be doing a good job adapting to a normal high school setting, to the point there weren't even any interesting conflicts to pay attention to.  Houka kept mostly to himself, and as such had no existing personality conflicts...aside from the girls who tried to pierce his 'mysterious exterior' for whatever reason.  Satsuki had forbidden Nonon from engaging in a physical contest with Koneko Toujou, and their interests outside of classwork differed too greatly for any other sort of competition to take place, leaving that situation in an uneasy cease fire.  Even Satsuki's conflict with Rias Gremory - the undisputed idol of the school, according to Matsuda - had cooled when Uzu and Akeno Himejima had attempted disarming flirting with each other simultaneously in an attempt to throw the other off, leading to what witnesses described as an 'aggressive flirt off' as each tried to unnerve the other with their playful flirting skirting the edges of appropriateness without breaching what was okay in school.  Satsuki and Rias had caught each other concealing a resigned eye roll at their underling's antics, leading to a shared understanding smile and an uneasy peace...not unlike two tigers who have decided the single hill isn't worth fighting over just yet.

All this left Ryuko with nothing to catch her attention and excite her, but with the constant sense at the edge of her awareness that something was just waiting to explode in major conflict.  This left Ryuko coming to a rather unwelcome conclusion.  Despite her avowed desire to just have a normal life and determination to avoid conflict, deep down she yearned for an intense battle that got her blood flowing again.  Her time at Honnoji Academy had simply been too intense, and left her body needing that adrenaline spike to get herself going and focused.  Despite her desires to enjoy simply being a normal schoolgirl...she was an incurable battle junkie.

Which was why her eyes lit up in the way most schoolgirls would on finding a love letter in their shoe locker when in hers she discovered an envelope with the Tarot card Death attached to it.  Carefully concealing it, she opened it up and read the letter inside.

_Ryuko Matoi_

_I hereby challenge you.  Come alone to the fountain square at the location detailed here this Sunday at sunset, and meet your fate.  Make peace with your God before you come, as you are unlikely to have a chance to after._

_Yuma Amano_

Ryuko quickly hid the letter, not wanting anyone - especially not Mako or Satsuki - to see it.  If Mako saw it, she'd insist on going to cheer her on, only to draw the attention of everyone else.  If Satsuki saw it, she'd insist on investigating whoever this was, and the fight would probably never happen.  Ryuko was desperate for a fight, something to get her blood pumping...so she would go to the location marked in the letter and meet this Yuma for a fight without telling anyone.  It probably wasn't the sensible thing to do...but since when had she been sensible?

* * *

It wasn't that difficult to get away from everyone on Sunday.  All it had taken was wrapping a sleeping Mako in her pajamas and slipping out before noon, and no one even noticed her departure.  She had her uniform on, the closed eyes staring out ahead of her as she made her way towards the location marked on the map that had been in the letter.  She'd managed to find out the general area without drawing too much attention, and half for the fun of it had leapt from rooftop to rooftop until she got close enough she needed to search by street signs.

As she hopped down into an intersection to look around, a nearby voice spoke up.  "Please check us out!"

In surprise, Ryuko caught the flier that was handed to her, turning to see a rather fetching looking brown haired girl in a somewhat skimpy red, white, and black dress that somehow seemed to carry an innocently devilish implication in its design.  As the girl smiled at her, Ryuko could tell there was something...off...about the girl, but she turned and walked off before Ryuko could say anything.

Idly, Ryuko glanced down at the flier.  It had some sort of stylish circle design on it she didn't recognize, artistic representations of naked women in the upper right and lower left corners, and an inscription on the bottom that read, _We Grant Your Wish_.  Ryuko couldn't help but chuckle at that.  "I think they handed me the flier for the wrong demographic," she joked as she slipped it into her pocket.  "Eh, Mako might get a laugh out of it, then I can give it to Mataro...or maybe Motohama as thanks for sharing his notes."  Giving it no more thought than that, she pulled out the map with the letter and proceeded to search for the fountain square.

* * *

Due to her unfamiliarity with the area, it took Ryuko quite some time to find her way to the square, to the point it was close to sunset by the time she got there.  She grit her teeth as she saw that.  "So much for having time to brace myself and check out the competition," she grumbled under her breath as she stepped into the square, glancing around.

The large fountain in the center of the square was rather simple, being a small basin raised over a large pool, spraying water up and out at various levels to cascade down in a miniature waterfall.  The square itself was surrounded by trees, and was empty save for a single individual.  She appeared to be a girl about Ryuko's age with violet eyes and long black hair, dressed in tight fitting gym clothes that outlined her rather shapely figure, along with thick padded gloves on her clenched fists...though Ryuko was able to spot the hidden spikes that could pop out of the outer pads at a moment's notice.  That put a grin on her face.  "Well, this is going to be interesting," she offered cockily.  "Yuma Amano, I presume?"

"Ryuko Matoi," Yuma greeted, her voice calmly energetic and almost friendly.  "I'm going to enjoy taking you apart."  She lifted her fists and shifted her stance, taking a classic boxing pose.

Ryuko let out a laugh as she shifted herself in a relaxed pose, head down slightly as she looked up at Yuma through her bangs, the streak of red at her brow seeming to glow in the light of the slowly setting sun, standing out against her black hair.  "I'd like to see you try."

Yuma immediately charged forward, alternating strikes between punches and kicks aimed at Ryuko's head and core.  Ryuko didn't bother pulling her hands out of her pockets as she easily swayed back and forth around each one until Yuma overextened slightly on a punch, turning the last sway into a spin as she slammed her hell into Yuma's back, sending her flying into the nearest tree.  She then leaned back with a smirk as she waited for Yuma to get back up.

Yuma pushed herself off the tree and glowered at Ryuko.  "You struck me," she snarled, her voice much less friendly now, and somewhat deeper.  "You'll regret that."

This charge came much faster, as did the blows.  They were also a bit more varied, including a few chops and thrusting blows.  Ryuko continued to evade with ease as she increased her own effort, feeling her blood starting to pump.  However, she wasn't about to let Yuma get ahead on the taunts.  "You're starting to bore me," she quipped as she leapt up, bracing one foot on Yuma's extended leg while slamming the other into her chin to slam her into the fountain, flipping back to lightly land on her feet.  "You're going to have to do better than that."

Yuma got to her feet, shaking off water and stone dust as she stepped out of the hole in the fountain's side.  "You're going to regret taking me so lightly," she snarled out as she charged in, the blows now coming too fast for a normal person to see.

"I should say the same to you!" Ryuko snapped as she continued to evade each one.  Finally pushed beyond her patience, she brought one arm up and seized Yuma's extended wrist, spinning and pulling the girl over her shoulder to slam her into the pavement hard enough to crater just as the sun touched the horizon.  "I've yet to see anything worth bothering a god over, so if you really think you're going to give me a hard time, then stop holding back so I can cut loose already!"

"H-holding back?" Yuma stammered as she pushed herself one armed out of the pavement, the other still held in Ryuko's grip.

"I could see how much power you had in you from the moment I first saw you!" Ryuko declared excitedly.  "It's why I'm enjoying this so much...but not if you don't _show me!_ "  Turning, she pulled Yuma out of the pavement and hurled her into the air.

In mid-flight, Yuma changed.  Her clothes burst off her body as she expanded, seeming to grow older by a decade or two in the blink of an eye.  Black feathered wings spread from her back as her more mature body became bound in a minimalist outfit composed of a few leather straps that just barely concealed her private parts, with matching leather gloves and knee-high heeled boots.  With a flap of her wings, she corrected her flight to land lightly at the top of the water spraying up out of the fountain.  "I thought you deserved a bit of fun before you died," the woman purred wickedly, her voice much more mature now.  "But it seems you're in a rush to die, so I'll happily oblige."  Holding out her hand, a spear of concentrated light that glowed pink took shape in her grip.  "So die."  She hurled the spear at Ryuko.

"Now that's more like it!" Ryuko screamed out as she leapt into the air, kicking off the thrown spear mid-way to the winged woman before flipping into an ax kick that was just barely dodged.  The strike slammed into the top of the fountain, shattering the entire structure down to the piping under the ground and unleashing a torrent of water mixed with chunks of stone and metal.

The winged woman barely dodged out of the way of the torrent, a few fragments of stone and metal zipping past and gashing her face.  "W-what are you?" she gasped in shock as she moved back out of the way, only for Ryuko to come launching out of the water to slam into her chin head first.

"That's a long story!" Ryuko declared excitedly as she dropped, grabbing hold of the woman's legs to drag her back to Earth with her weight.  Before the woman could get her bearings, Ryuko delivered a strong kick to her gut, grinning as she heard and felt the snap of rib bones.  "What's yours-"

An explosion of energy sent Ryuko back through the water, leaving her dodging more light spears as they flew rapidly at her, their approach concealed by the water.  "You will regret daring to trod upon the Fallen Angel Raynare!" the woman's voice shrieked in rage.

"Oh, is that your real name?" Ryuko taunted as she tracked the pattern of the spears and began to leap from one to the other through the water towards their source.  "I'll remem-ERK!"

Raynare grinned viciously as she stood to the side of the water, a spear held in her hands driven through Ryuko's leg causing her to tumble over that fulcrum.  "Remember who sent you to hell!" she snarled as she pulled another spear out to strike at Ryuko's gut.

To Raynare's stunned amazement, Ryuko deliberately caught the point of that spear with her palm, impaling her hand on it as her flesh sizzled before spinning, using that new point of balance to rip the other spear from the fallen angel's grip, using the force of her leg to drive the other end of the spear into the woman's gut from where it was embedded in her own leg.  "They'll be seeing you there first!" Ryuko snarled out as the pain and intensity of the fight pushed her to new heights.  Jerking her leg back, she pulled it off the spear and left it embedded in her foe.  Blood gushed from the wound, but she ignored it as she pulled her hand off the other spear, grasped the shaft, and slammed it backward into Raynare's face, making her stagger back.  She'd have time to focus her Fibers on sealing the wounds when there was a lull in the fight...or when she took enough damage to trigger her absorption and stole her foe's powers.

Raynare, however, wasn't going to go down without a serious fight.  Conjuring more light spears, she sent them flying at Ryuko while keeping one back in each hand as she tried to weave magic to patch her wounds.  Ryuko did her best to dodge between the spears, but Raynare was going much faster now and there were simply too many.  While none were impaling her, the hole in her leg slowed her down enough that she was being sliced by their passage.  Lunging in, she got close enough to deliver a spinning kick to her right shin, grinning as a snap and a cry of pain told her she'd delivered a particularly intense blow.

She let out a grunting gasp of her own, however, when she felt the familiar sensation of a bladed weapon penetrating her torso.  Staring down, she saw the spear of light driven through her own chest...and felt where her heart had shifted out of the way of the strike.  _I did not know it could do that,_ she thought to herself as she delivered a punch to the arm not holding that spear, and heard the snap as she shattered Raynare's shoulder.

"You bitch!" Raynare shrieked out as she lunged in to drive another spear of light into Ryuko's belly with her only working arm.

Ryuko coughed up blood as she felt the blow, but grinned.  "You shouldn't have done that," she laughed as she grasped hold of Raynare by her wings, shocking the Fallen Angel.  "Now your power's-"  Her words cut off in an inarticulate scream of agony.  She could feel her Fibers trying to feed on the power in the spears, and it burned.  She could barely think as her entire body convulsed, blood spurting out of her even in spots where she wasn't cut.

Raynare pulled back as she felt feathers torn from her wings, her own scream of pain intense.  "Die!" she screamed out as she pulled out more spears of light, driving them repeatedly into Ryuko's body and leaving them there.  "Die!  Die!  Die!  Die!  Die!"  A spear was left in each limb, another opposite the one in Ryuko's chest...and the last striking Ryuko right between the eyes and driving straight out the back of her head.

Ryuko lay back on the pavement, trying to scream as her body alternately tore itself apart and burned up as it tried and failed to absorb the light energy.  "Make...it...stop!" she just barely managed to gasp out as the flier she'd gotten earlier fell out of her pocket, and a spurt of blood landed on it...making the circle on it blaze.

Seeing that, Raynare cursed.  "No!" she snarled, and - to Ryuko's surprise - took wing and fled.

Just as Raynare vanished from sight, a glowing crimson circle appeared in the air near where Ryuko lay, identical to the one on the flier but much larger.  As it descended towards the ground, two familiar figures appeared.


	5. Chapter 5

Ryuko was only barely aware of her situation beyond the pain.  She felt some sort of power activate near her, and two familiar presences near her...but she could barely make that out, let alone anything else.  The pain was all but overwhelming for her psyche, to the point she wasn't even aware as something sunk into her being-

The pain was still there, but it was...elsewhere.  It was like what was happening to her body...just didn't matter anymore.  No, that wasn't quite it.  It certainly _mattered_ , and she was aware of it.  It just...wasn't overwhelming her awareness anymore.  She felt...oddly clinical.  Detached, almost.  She recognized the two figures that had approached, but...

"Rias?" she asked in confusion, only barely noticing the echoing quality of her own voice, as though it were traveling down a long tunnel to be heard.  "Akeno?"  Part of her reminded her that she shouldn't be so flippant in how she addressed upperclassmen if she was trying to be normal and not pick fights, but the more important question...  "Why do you have wings?"

It was true.  A pair of black wings somewhat reminiscent of bat wings in their structure but far narrower sprouted from each older girl's back, seeming to phase through their uniforms as though they weren't there...and there was something off about their clothes looked at this way.  It was almost as though it...wasn't clothing?  Why would her senses represent it that way?  It was obviously...

Life Fibers.  There was no trace of Life Fiber energy in their outfits or their beings, as though they'd never made contact with them in their entire lives.

"Akeno!" Rias spoke firmly.  "Why is she...?"  Her voice quavered, as though it was taking all of her self control not to show more of a reaction to something.

"I don't know, Rias-sama," Akeno responded immediately, energy flowing out of her hands and into Ryuko's...body?  Why was it down there?  And from there into Ryuko herself?  "This is...all that is there.  I don't understand.  It's almost as if she's...not entirely human..."

"Oh, I'm not," Ryuko pointed out, trying to shrug her shoulders...only to stare as waving threads of light flowed off one entire half of her being, her ethereal imprint only half resembling her physical body, the other half made of...Life Fibers, that's what it was.  Just...the first time she'd seen her essence represented so literally.  "It's...hard to explain...I guess I really am only _half_ human..."

Rias nodded, meeting her eyes and plainly doing her best not to look disturbed by what she was looking at.  "Ryuko Matoi," she began carefully.  "The reason for our wings...we are Devils.  And when your blood fell upon our summoning circle as you spoke a desire with all your being, we were called forth for a contract.  However, due to the extremity - and...oddity - of your situation and call, we were both summoned."

Ryuko stared at Rias as she took all that in.  "So...that's why the old school building feels odd?"

Rias and Akeno exchanged startled glances.  "Y...yes," Rias offered carefully.  "That's where we meet up.  We normally don't let our fellow students become aware of this side of things, but...there was something about you that drew our attention.  And when we learned a Fallen Angel was targeting you as well, we-"

"Moved to cover your bases, got it," Ryuko agreed.  "So...why am I only somewhat feeling my body?"

"Due to the nature of the situation, we cannot simply...act, here," Rias explained.  "As such, since Akeno has the training to do so as a Miko, she has...extracted your soul from your body temporarily, so we can discuss our courses of action."

"...oh..." Ryuko murmured, uncertain what she was feeling.  Lifting her arm - or at least that's what it felt like - she stared at the humanoid portion of her ethereal impression.  "I'm...honestly surprised to learn I have one..."

Rias and Akeno remained silent for a time, waiting for Ryuko to continue.  When she did not, Rias cleared her throat.  "This is where the...complications arise," she explained carefully.  "You called us here to make the pain you're in stop, and...as best as we can determine, the pain is because the part of your being that isn't human is incompatible with magic...which makes no sense.  Humans are compatible with magic by nature..."

"Save for the Gear - which reads as recently absorbed, somehow - there is no magic in her being," Akeno pointed out.  "It could be that the other half of her being shielded her human essence from magic until it was forcefully exposed as it was now..."

"...Gear?" Ryuko asked, confused even further.

"That's not important just now," Rias explained firmly.

_She's talking about me, partner,_ a voice whisper-roared in her mind, calling her attention to something not quite visible hidden amongst the Life Fiber side of her being.  Turning, she saw the face of a crimson dragon floating there...and wasn't afraid.  _We'll talk later, partner,_ the voice continued.  _For now, focus on them._

"Since the issue is your body reacting to magic, we need to remove the magic," Rias continued, plainly having not noticed any distraction on Ryuko's part.  "However...it seems your body absorbs new power to heal itself, and the only power we have available to remove the magic is _also_ magical in nature, and..."

"Curing poison with poison doesn't exactly sound sensible," Ryuko agreed ruefully.

"It's not," Rias agreed.  "However, our other choice to end your pain is..."  She hesitated, plainly not wanting to voice it.

"No, I don't want assisted suicide," Ryuko corrected dryly.

"Well...there is another option," Rias explained carefully, holding out eight intricately designed...chess pawns.  All eight glowed oddly in reaction to Ryuko's energy.  "I can attempt to reincarnate your human side as one of my Devil Servants, a member of my Peerage.  That would make your human side inherently magical as you became half Devil, and the symbiotic nature of the other half of your being _should_ adapt to magic as a result...but..."

Ryuko raised an eyebrow...metaphorically speaking, anyway.  "I'm sorry, you just said your way of saving me involved binding me to you as a Servant.  Please, how could anything after that require hesitation?"

"Light magic such as what you are impaled with is poison to Devils," Akeno explained.  "It...may kill you even before the transformation is complete."

"So my choices are live in unending agony since my body won't let go of power that might heal it even if it's killing it, or risk dying in worse agony on the chance of being able to recover and be able to use magic without half my being killing me with an overblown allergic reaction?" Ryuko clarified.  "Oh, and being part of your 'peerage', whatever that entails."  She tapped her chin playfully.  "Gee, tough choice..."

Rias' eyebrow twitched.  "This is quite serious..."

"Yeah, so was everything else I've been through," Ryuko snapped back.  "Not gonna treat this any differently."  She let it turn over in her mind for a time.  She _really_ didn't like the idea of being someone's 'Devil Servant', but she liked the idea of letting that Fallen Angel have a victory over her even worse.  Besides, if the Chess Pieces and that dragon in her aura were anything to go by...this could lead to some interesting battles.  And next time, she wouldn't hold back until _after_ she was certain her opponents didn't have any cheating tricks like this one.  And getting even with Raynare...  "Okay, let's do it," Ryuko stated firmly.  "But first, a few ground rules."

"Ground...rules?" Akeno asked in surprise as Rias' eyebrows raised.

"First, I'll accept your leadership in a combat situation," Ryuko began, counting on her fingers.  "But I know how I fight better than you do, so until you get a handle on that, I'll be calling my own shots there.  Second!  Outside of battle or preparing for battles, I've got my own life to live and you're _not_ sticking your oar in there.  Third!  Just because I serve you doesn't mean you own me, so don't go getting any ideas!"

"I...ideas?" Rias asked in confusion.  "I...I don't understand your meaning..."

Ryuko blinked in surprise.  "...huh.  Maybe I didn't need to make a point of that," she allowed.  "Still, after what our Mom did to me and my sister...seemed important to-"  She paused as she saw the looks of shock, understanding, and absolute revulsion race across Rias' and Akeno's faces.  "...I'm guessing that's the exception for this sort of thing, rather than the rule?"

After a time, Rias managed - barely - to get control of herself.  "So...your 'Ground Rules' are, in essence, to treat you the same as I do any of my peerage, as a loved and cherished member of my family I seek to nurture, help grow, and guide to reach their full potential?"

Ryuko blinked in surprise.  "...huh.  Maybe this won't be so bad.  In that case, just two things left then."  She counted on her fingers.  "One, if I come out of this in one piece, I'm going to kill that bitch Raynare.  Second...you get to explain this to Satsuki and the others while I watch."

Rias frowned.  "Umm...normally I would use magic to keep your family from realizing something-"

"Play games with my family's minds or memories and I'll kill you myself if I have to punch out the Reaper and steal his scythe to do so!" Ryuko snapped, the Life Fiber side of her spirit lashing violently in response to her wrath and pulling the neurochemical energy out of several nearby plants and insects and reducing them to so much bio-chemical sludge.

Rias and Akeno stared at the sludge in awe and more than a touch of fear.  "D...duly noted..." Rias observed, struggling to keep her voice calm.

"Alright, we have a deal," Ryuko agreed.

Nodding, Rias held out the eight Pawn pieces.  "This...may sting," she offered as she pressed them against Ryuko's physical chest.

Ryuko's eyes widened.  "Oh, you did not just-"

And all she knew, again, was pain.


	6. Chapter 6

Rias and Akeno watched nervously as the transformation worked on Ryuko's body.  Normally, such a transformation passed swiftly, and there was little physical change...even for those like Gaspar or Koneko, who were half-human, or only human in form respectively.  However, Ryuko was very different.  Even Gaspar and Koneko's souls had been fully humanesque, native to Earth's magical fields and the demiplanes connected to them.  However, the thread-like half of Ryuko's being wasn't, and in fact seemed maladaptive to said fields, as though by nature it was meant to destroy or be destroyed by them.  The way that side had lashed out and leached the life right out of things nearby, leaving only dead matter...they'd never seen anything like it.  It had... _killed_ the magic in the plants and insects struck.  How such a being would react to being transmuted to a Devil was anyone's guess, especially with light magic embedded throughout her body-

Ryuko's body suddenly convulsed, her eyes popping wide open as her jaw wrenched wider than a human jaw should allow, her teeth turning razor sharp as her limbs bent backwards.  Claws of the thread energy erupted from her fingers and toes, digging into the ground around her and shredding the concrete like tissue.  The stone broke down and dissolved at the contact...and then erupted in thread-lined stone limbs to seize the Light Spears embedded in Ryuko's body in an attempt to pull them out.  A single black bat wing erupted from her back as threads lashed from her other shoulder.

"The human side of her soul has shifted!" Akeno spoke up worriedly, having been observing the process to try and be ready if something went wrong.  As they watched, the flesh around the Light Spears began to boil and blister.  "Rias-sama!"

But Rias was already acting.  Gathering her magic around her, she unleashed the crimson-tinged black of her unique power, magical energy so concentrated it became the essence of destruction, the special power she had inherited which gave her the title Crimson Princess of Ruin.  The energy lashed out and struck the Light Spears, eradicating them in their entirety.  She started to pull the energy back...but threads lashed out from Ryuko's body and wrapped around the released Destruction Energy, interweaving within it and pulling it apart.  Rias tried to pull back, but was only able to retrieve the energy the threads hadn't already claimed.  That energy was soon absorbed into the threads, sealing the holes in Ryuko's body as the threads folded back into her and her spasms subsided.  Threads erupted from her other shoulder, taking the shape of a second wing before solidifying to match the one that had already been shaped.  Her spasms ceased, and she lay still, her breathing in a sleeping pattern.

"Rias-sama..." Akeno asked nervously.  "Did she just...absorb your Essence of Destruction?"

"S-she did," Rias stammered in awe.  "I can't even begin to imagine _how_..."  Her eyes lit up as she remembered what Ryuko had said about the way her body worked.  "Her body absorbs any new energy to repair itself when badly damaged.  It couldn't absorb the Light Spears because they were incompatible as magic first, and then as holy once she became demonic.  That side of her being has already adapted to her now being demonic...which made my power compatible."

Akeno stared in awe and more than a touch of fear at the recumbent Ryuko.  "That's...somewhat terrifying, if something that was antithetical to magic could adapt to it that quickly..."  She then blinked in surprise.  "I can't sense the Gear anymore!"

"What?" Rias demanded in shock.

"The energies of the Gear...I can't pick them up anymore."  Akeno raised her hands to enhance her scanning magic, sweeping it over Ryuko's body.  "It doesn't read like it was absorbed or subsumed...the only explanation I can think of is that other side of her being somehow used the Gear as a...a bridge to adapt to her becoming a Devil.  As such, her overall energy signature is now so attuned to the Gear that, unless active, it can't be distinguished from her own signature."

"...stuff it with the technobabble..." Ryuko grumbled as she stirred.  Her eyes slowly opened, and she sat up and stretched.  "Who knew an absence of pain could feel so good?" she muttered as she rolled her shoulders, flexing her wings a few times as though she'd had them all her life before drawing them back into her body.  She then squinted a bit before giving her eyes an odd roll.  "Oh, good, I can turn the night vision off.  That's a relief."  Her eyes rolled back in the same odd way as she lay back on the ground, flexed her legs, and launched herself to her feet.  "Well, everything seems to be in working order..."  She then noticed Rias and Akeno staring at her with their jaws hanging.  "What?"

"How are you adapting to this so well?" Akeno finally demanded in shock.  "Your entire energy nature has changed, you have new limbs, and...and..."  She waved her hands in frustration.

"You say that like it's the first time something like this has happened to me," Ryuko countered calmly as she stretched easily.  When Akeno took a closer look, she saw the rents in Ryuko's outfit sealing themselves up naturally.  Ryuko then glanced at her right wrist for a time, then shrugged.  "Well, come on Rias-dono,"she stated, grabbing hold of Rias by the wrist.  "Satsuki and the others are waiting, and I'm looking forward to how you spin this."

"I'm beginning to think I need to learn more from them than they do from me..." Rias observed worriedly, noticing but not commenting on Ryuko's choice of address for her.  She supposed in this case, respect would have to be earned.  Noticing Akeno looking rather perturbed, she spoke up.  "Akeno!  Inform the others of what has happened and the...changes to our usual handling of these situations.  I'll be there to introduce our new member in the clubhouse after school tomorrow."

"Yes, Bucchou," Akeno responded immediately, opening a warp circle and vanishing to follow instructions.

"Am I going to learn to do that?" Ryuko asked curiously.

"At some point, yes," Rias confirmed.  "Preferably sooner than later."

"Got it," Ryuko replied before leaping for the top of the nearest building, dragging Rias along behind her.

"Why aren't we taking the streets?!" Rias screamed out as they rocketed through the air as Ryuko leapt from rooftop to rooftop without stopping.

"You have wings!" Ryuko snapped out.  "Why aren't you used to using them?"

"I fly with magic!"

"That's lazy!"

...this was going to be a headache.


	7. Chapter 7

Ryuko landed calmly in front of her home, smiling as she took in the new but already well-loved walls.  Her warmth was only mildly disturbed by Rias face-planting behind her, having not expected the sudden shift from roof hopping to descending and thus hadn't been prepared for landing as Ryuko had.  Ryuko found that she could take the physical discomfort of her new 'Devil Master' with great equanimity.  She'd just have to adjust to the insanity that was Ryuko's daily life and preferred state of being.  She treated the revelation of Devils, Fallen Angels, and magic like it was world shaking.

For Ryuko and her family, it was Tuesday morning before breakfast, and they still had the rest of the day to get through.  Not that she was going to warn Rias of that.  She wanted to watch how she handled this.

Rias groaned as she got to her feet.  "You could have warned me..." she grumbled as she tried to brush herself off.

"Why should I start now?" Ryuko countered dryly.  "Come on, then."  She strode to the door, jerking Rias along behind her.

"W-wait!" Rias gasped out worriedly.  "At least let me prepare myself-"

"You had the whole trip here," Ryuko countered as she kicked the door in, the hinges and knob having been designed specifically to handle her preferred method of entry without damage.  The slam as it impacted the sound-amplifying cushion against the wall was, as always, quite satisfying.  "I'm home!" she called out as she stalked in.  "I brought a new headache!"

Rias frowned.  "You could have at least said 'guest'," she pointed out sourly.

"I did," Ryuko countered as the rest of the family approached.

Rias managed to set herself just as Satsuki arrived, and the look of worry on her face increased.  "...Satsuki-san..." she greeted worriedly.

"Rias-san," Satsuki stated flatly, "care to explain the drastic fluctuations of my sister's vital signs over the past half hour?"

"Wait, you have me monitored?!" Ryuko snapped out angrily.

"All Goku Uniform-type clothing automatically sends back vital sign information," Shiro pointed out as he entered.  "It's a standard safety measure to ensure they're functioning properly-"

"Ryuko-chan~!" Mako screamed out as she rushed into the room.  "I was so worried-"  Rather than cannoning into Ryuko as she normally did, she screeched to a halt as she caught sight of Rias, and the fact Ryuko had hold of the older student by the wrist.  "Ryuko-chan..." she whimpered softly as she tugged at her pajama top, "I know I'm not very developed yet, but I didn't think you'd replace me over that..."  She glanced down at her ample - though small when compared to Ryuko or Rias - chest.

Ryuko stared flat-eyed at Mako.  "Mako-chan...think about it.  Does that really sound like something I'd do, even at your wildest fancy?"

Mako tapped her chin.  "No, Ryuko's not like that.  But you were out all night-"  A spotlight shone down on her from nowhere as she was suddenly dressed in a ninja style bodysuit for some reason.  "-your vitals went wonky-"  The suit burst open as she rocked back in a rather suggestive pose.  "-and then you come back holding hands with a busty babe-"  She ducked out of the spotlight and instantly came back in wearing a red wig, two croissants stuffed under a skimpy tube top to make her breasts look bigger, a slit mini-skirt, fishnet stockings, and red high heels.  "-so what am I supposed to think?"

Rias squawked indignantly at what was obviously an unflattering representation of herself.  Ryuko struggled not to laugh.  "You know, if you lose the wig and the buns, that's a look we could have fun with," she teased, making Mako blush brightly.

The spotlight vanished and Mako was back in her pajamas.  "But if that's not why...did you bring her as a sacrifice so Dad and Brother would leave us alone for a night?" she inquired curiously.  At that point, both Mataro and Mr. Mankanshoku got eager looks on their faces.

"Tempting, but no," Ryuko teased playfully, greatly enjoying Rias' growing discomfort.  "I'll let Rias explain things.  That should be fun to watch."

Rias swallowed nervously as all attention turned to her.  Closing her eyes, she took a breath and let it out.  "Alright...here goes..."  Opening her eyes, she looked Satsuki right in the eye, already seeing that she was the one in charge here in this family, in a way her equal here.  "Earlier tonight, Ryuko engaged in battle with a Fallen Angel and lost-"

"I find that hard to believe," Satsuki interrupted flatly.

"The part about the Fallen Angel?" Rias asked, having expected that and ready to demonstrate her Devil nature to prove what she was saying.

"No, the part where Ryuko lost to some scrub picking a fight with her," Satsuki corrected, turning her attention to her sister.

Ryuko shrugged.  "I got careless.  I was enjoying a fight for the first time in a while and was keeping myself to her level to see how far she could go.  How was I supposed to know magic was poison to Life Fibers?"  She shot Shiro a glower.

"To be fair, I didn't know that either," Shiro pointed out.  "Until just recently, I believed magic to be the stuff of myth."

"Supernatural fibers that feed on neural energy and mind control people is accepted fact, but magic is hard to believe?" Ryuko snapped irritably as she flicked her hand, a few threads slipping out to flicker before returning into her flesh.  Satsuki raised an eyebrow at that demonstration, but said nothing.

"The former is extraterrestrial," Shiro pointed out flatly.  "Speaking of which, the color of yours is off.  Why is that?"

"I was...getting to that," Rias spoke up, hoping to get to something resembling what she knew as sanity soon...or getting past her own explanation so she could hear theirs.  As all attention turned to her, she continued.  "The Fallen Angels light spears impaled Ryuko several times, and her body's attempts to metabolize the energy to heal herself led to her being immobilized and locked in agony due to the incompatible energies.  Her blood on a summoning circle I'd arranged to place in her possession caused myself and a companion to be summoned to resolve the situation..."  She spread her wings.  "Since we were suited to do so.  In order to allow Ryuko's body to handle magical energy so she could recover...she has been reincarnated as my Devil Servant."  She braced herself, ready for all sorts of possible reactions to that.

"So Ryuko's a Devil now, and you're supposed to be her Master?" Satsuki asked flatly, nobody else seeming to have any reaction to what Rias had said as anything abnormal.  She then turned back to Ryuko.  "That's what you get for sandbagging and getting careless."

"Oh up yours, sis!" Ryuko snapped back.  "Like you never made that mistake!"

"Only when fighting you," Satsuki countered with a smirk.

"Get stuffed!"

"If Nonon would leave Uzu alone for five minutes, I'd consider it."

As Nonon, Uzu, and Ira all performed an epic spittake before choking on their tea, Ryuko stared at Satsuki completely flummoxed.  "...seriously?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Satsuki allowed.  "But it caught you off guard, didn't it?"  A smirk crossed her face.

"You seem to be taking this change...rather well," Rias observed nervously.

Satsuki shrugged.  "If you were to come in next week and tell me God was dead and Ryuko had been selected to take his place, my only comment would be to not have me listed as her sister in the new scripture."

"What?" Ryuko demanded angrily.  "You'd be ashamed to be my sister if I became God?"

"No, I want to be remembered as Kiryuin Satsuki, not Ryuko Matoi's big sister."

Ryuko smirked.  "Heh, we'll just have to see who gets remembered as who's sis, huh?"

"Ueh?!" Mako suddenly gasped out.  "Master?"

Rias blinked in confusion at that.  "Umm...that _is_ the normal terminology..." she began awkwardly.

A spotlight suddenly shone down on Mako again as she took a tragic pose.  "How was I to know that my strong-"  She was suddenly wearing a muscle suit.  "-fierce-"  She was suddenly wearing a lion costume.  "-independent-"  She was suddenly dressed as the Statue of Liberty.  "-Ryuko-chan was actually a submissive-"  She was suddenly dressed in the 'Leia Slave' outfit from Star Wars.  "-desiring a dominant Mistress?"  She was suddenly dressed as a queen.  "But I will not lose her without a fight!"  She was suddenly dressed as a knight, with sword bared.  "I shall take lessons from Gamagoori-san-"  She was suddenly dressed as a dominatrix with whip in hand.  "-to become the proper dominant Mistress my Ryuko-chan desires!"  She struck out with the whip a few times...badly.

"Not _that_ kind of Master!" Rias screamed out, blushing brightly as everyone else burst into laughter.


	8. Chapter 8

When everyone finally stopped laughing, Rias managed to find her voice before Mako could go into another insane rant due to misunderstanding.  "It's not that sort of Master relationship," she said firmly as she rubbed her forehead, trying to hide her wince.  "It's...more like a shogun and a samurai."

Mako blinked and tilted her head slowly to stare at Rias.  "...oro?" she asked in confusion.

"A...warrior that serves me?" Rias suggested awkwardly, hoping to get through to her.  "Like a-"

"A servant?" Mako gasped as her hands flew to her face and a spotlight switched on from nowhere as she reached into the shadows.  "You mean my-"

"Like a martial arts teacher!" Rias interrupted quickly before Mako could go off on whatever weird tangent she was about to go on.  She'd already seen the 'slave' outfit, and wasn't really looking forward to whatever else Mako might pull out as she misinterpreted 'servant' in a sexual or otherwise manner.

Mako blinked a few times.  "But what could you teach Ryuko-chan about fighting?" she asked plaintively.

"Umm..." Rias began carefully.  "Uh...about being a Devil now?"

"Oh!" Mako declared as she smacked her fist into her palm.  "That makes sense!  ...what's a Devil?"

Rias sighed ruefully.  This would probably be a rather awkward discussion.  "A Devil is an unholy being spawned from the dark magic of Hell, seen as a blight on God's plan-"

A sudden clack and the sound of a choir that put heaven to shame interrupted Rias' speech as Satsuki's heel struck the ground, a brilliant light shining from behind her.  "She did not ask for the hypocritical propaganda religion has fed the sheep in human clothing called 'the faithful'!" she snapped out intensely.  "She asked you, a Devil that is of nobility, for the Truth that you know beyond what can be expressed in words!"

Rias found herself staring in awe.  The light...it felt sacred, or holy, but it did not hurt to be bathed in it.  For all the power that seemed to echo within it, and the strength of faith within it, it was a purely human light...the light of inspiration, of valor, of leadership.  This was a light that could rally the masses of humanity to make war on God himself.  She began to get a glimmering of how a 'mere human' could sway loyalty from beings far beyond human that defied description.

"Speak the truth from your heart that does not consult the mind!" Satsuki ordered, her voice a firm declaration.  "What is a Devil?!"

Rias felt her spine straighten of its own accord as the words leapt from her heart and out her mouth before she could think.  "A Devil is a being of magic that derives its power from the demi-plane of magic known as Hell, with an extended lifespan relative to humanity, the ability to use magic derived from that demi-plane, and an inherent vulnerability to the light powers wielded by Angels, their equals and opposites!  There is no inherent superiority to Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils, or Humans, only the worth an individual demonstrates!"  Rias blinked, stunned that through sheer force of personality and will Satsuki had made _her_ snap to attention and speak a deep secret view she'd never spoken clearly - even to herself - without even thinking.  Managing to relax, she rubbed her hand nervously.  "...QED..." she murmured nervously.

Satsuki smirked as she relaxed, the light and music fading as she sat back down.

"Looks like you've still got it, sis," Ryuko teased playfully as she flopped into an easy chair, stretching out before wrapping her arms around Mako who - as expected - had plopped herself into Ryuko's lap for snuggles as soon as she was down.

"As if there was reason to doubt," Satsuki sniped back in an aloof tone.

"So why do you need Ryuko-chan?" Mako asked curiously.  "Or any Devil Servants, for that matter?"

Rias sighed softly.  However, before she could speak, Houka's jacket snapped open.  "Given what was said about Devil's having a prolonged lifespan, it can be presumed that their reproductive cycle is either much longer or more difficult to accomplish than humans, and as such they have a much more difficult time replenishing their numbers as a species," he deduced thoughtfully.  "Given the mention of Rias' group and a Fallen Angel having an interest in Ryuko, it can be presumed that there was some sort of conflict at some point in the past between Devils and Fallen Angels...and the mention of Angels suggests they were involved as well."  He idly pushed his glasses up his nose before continuing.  "A war of that scale likely would have drastically reduced populations on all sides.  I imagine turning humans into 'Devil Servants' - and eventually into full fledged Devils in their own rights, presumably - is one of the ways they've developed to replenish their numbers.  Likely, what noble lines remain are very careful to ensure they continue to exist in strength as well."

Rias was staring at Houka in shock through most of his speech.  At the mention of the noble lines, however, she frowned and glanced away irritably.  "You've gathered quite an effective group, Satsuki-san," she observed calmly.  "I'm almost afraid to see what the rest of your team is-"

"How much of an asshole is the guy your parents have you engaged to, how much wiggle room do you have, and how many pieces would you like to see him in?" Uzu interrupted incisively, calmly polishing his bamboo sword.

At first, Rias was going to shrug off his bluster, but then she noticed the way the sword glowed to her vision when he gripped the handle.  When he imbued his own energy into the blade, it took on sacred qualities.  While it alone probably wouldn't do much against... _him_...it showed her that Uzu wasn't as helpless on the Devil scale as she'd first thought.  "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think wood would do any good against him," she allowed sadly.  "Too flammable."  Uzu let out a derisive 'tsk', but said nothing...though the interchange did make Nonon giggle.

"So what happens if you two fight?" Mako asked curiously, glancing from Rias to Satsuki.  "Who does Ryuko-chan side with?"

Rias hesitated.  Despite Ryuko now being her 'Devil Servant', she'd already made it plain that part of the 'contract' that made that happen was that it _not_ interfere with her life outside it, which plainly included her family here.  If her family interests clashed with Satsuki's, she wasn't sure where Ryuko's loyalty should be expected.

"Then I punch her in the face," Ryuko offered easily with a cheeky grin.

"Her who?" Mako asked eagerly.

"Whichever of them's being a bitch and causing the problem!" Ryuko answered as her grin went even wider.

"But what if it's just a mutual clash?" Mr. Mankanshoku asked curiously.

"Then both until they compromise!"

Satsuki chuckled softly.  "It appears your 'family' and mine are...allies now, whether we like it or not."

Rias sighed as she rubbed her forehead.  "So it would seem.  Is Ryuko always this much trouble?"

"This is one of the easier days," Satsuki replied readily with a small smirk.

Rias groaned as she took a seat, ignoring Ryuko blowing a raspberry at her sister.  "Well, as long as you're piling on the headaches, perhaps you could explain Ryuko to me?"  At Satsuki's raised eyebrow, Rias elaborated.  "The...fibers?"

Satsuki leaned back.  "Ah, yes," she allowed calmly.  "That is a story and a half..."


	9. Chapter 9

Satsuki leaned back as she gathered her thoughts, wondering how best to explain the situation with the Life Fibers now that it was resolved.  While her audience was apparently a Devil and thus likely could suspend disbelief much further than an ordinary human, dropping too much on her too fast - as much fun as Ryuko was having with it - would likely cause her to either balk or break at this point.  She seemed close to it already.

As her eyes briefly shifted to her former Elite Four, her closest friends, she realized the simplest way to start the explanation would be with the very same explanation she gave them.  Turning back to Rias, she spoke.  "Why do humans wear clothing?" she began calmly.

Rias opened her mouth to respond, then paused.  "I...I want to say it's a result of coming to an understanding of modesty due to eating of the Tree of Knowledge...but that would imply modesty was a concept known to those sapient and sentient races older than Humanity...and yet artwork of the war between Angels and Devils of that era shows them naked, with no concept thereof.  That implies the concept of modesty originated in humans, and the other races learned it from them to better infiltrate human society for their own ends...eventually making it a natural part of themselves.  But...why would modesty happen in the first place?"

Satsuki smiled.  It was good to see that Rias was rethinking things she'd 'known' for so long based on what she'd encountered now.  It showed she was flexible and adaptable both physically and mentally.  She might just come out the other side of knowing her family as something other than a gibbering mess.  "That is where Life Fibers come in," Satsuki explained as Shiro handed her drawings for visual aids, the first of Life Fibers in their natural state.  "They are extra-terrestrial parasites that feed on the neural energy of other forms of life.  However, there are no life forms that can naturally survive having the Fibers inside them.  Instead, the Fibers feed by wrapping around other living organisms."  She accepted the next picture, this one of the classic 'evolution of man'.  "They locate the species on the planet they arrive at with the most developed brain and nervous system and nudge it into further development, while implanting the concept of modesty and shame in their culture."

The next image showed a development of clothing, from leaves to furs to fabrics.  "This results in that species making clothing, which the Life Fibers infuse, allowing them to feed off the neural energy in their dormant state.  Thus they remain for millennia until they have spread to cover the majority of the species and they have fed on enough energy.  Then they awaken."

The next image was an actual picture of humans being taken up into the sky to form the crimson Life Fiber cocoon around the planet.  "Thus begins the Life Fiber Nativity, where the species is absorbed by the Life Fibers and surrounds the planet, becoming a cocoon to create more Life Fibers.  When all life within the cocoon is Life Fibers..."  The last image was of a planet exploding, crimson threads launching out into space.  "The planet is caused to explode, the force scattering the Life Fibers into the cosmos to seed further planets."

She set the visual aids aside.  "That is what Life Fibers are.  Any questions?"

Rias stared at her, her jaw somewhat slack.  "It...that's what the Crimson Night was?  That's why no one in authority could figure out what caused it?  Because there was no magic involved?"  She frowned thoughtfully.  "But...why didn't it affect us?  Or anyone in this area?"

"No Life Fiber energy," Ryuko spoke up calmly.  "When you gave me that out of body experience, I was able to see that you and Akeno had never been exposed to Life Fibers - and thus their energy - before meeting me.  There isn't a trace of Life Fibers anywhere in your clothing."

"I would imagine that clothing that comes from Hell would not have Life Fibers in it," Satsuki concluded.  "Tell me, is there a strong enough Devil presence and control at the school that the uniforms can come from Hell and not be noticed?"

Rias blinked in surprise.  "Y...yes.  The Headmaster is a Devil, as is the President of the Student Council.  In fact, the rest of the Student Council is her peerage."  She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "So, anyone who wasn't exposed to Life Fibers would not have been taken up by the...Nativity.  Would that just be anyone wearing Devil made clothing?"

"I wager anyone with strong ties to the occult would also be exempt," Satsuki concluded thoughtfully.  "As magic and Life Fibers aren't naturally compatible, anyone with a strong enough magical presence would be most uncomfortable in clothing that had Life Fibers in it, and would seek alternatives."

Rias nodded thoughtfully.  "I...suppose that makes sense.  But how does that explain Ryuko?"

Satsuki willed her face not to harden, but from the way Rias flinched back, she knew the Devil had caught her momentary lapse in discipline in reaction to that inquiry.  "I...will not go into details at this time," she began carefully.  "That side of the story is...unpleasant to explain and relive-"

"Something your Mother did?" Rias asked carefully.  She flinched back at the intense drop in temperature caused by the change in Satsuki's demeanor.  "Ryuko insisted on a few conditions to becoming part of my Peerage regarding what I _wasn't_ allowed to do, attributing her Mother as being 'the unusual' when she realized how...distasteful I found the idea of... _using_ someone in my care like that."

Satsuki took a deep breath, then let it out, closing her eyes as she regained her composure.  "You are right it involves our Mother, and that we will _not_ be discussing her," she allowed calmly.  "However, the simple fact is that...Ryuko is half-human, half Life Fiber."  She paused as she saw Mako playing with Ryuko's wings.  "Or...was."

"I have managed to deduce the change in Ryuko's Fibers," Shiro spoke up calmly.  "They no longer utilize Life Fiber energy...or at least, not entirely.  The energy they use has adapted to Ryuko's magical energy, and can utilize both it and Life Fiber energy.  In addition, the Fibers of her uniform have also shifted, and...appear to be infusing the rest of her uniform with her energy, propagating by feeding on the ambient magical energy of the environment without harming it as well as her own excess.  When it was made, it was 5% Life Fibers.  Now, it is 6% of these...until we know more, I will mark them down in the files as D-Fibers.  D for Devil.  However, it is not entirely Devil energy as I am analyzing from Rias-san."

"She does have a Sacred Gear of some sort," Rias spoke up.  "It can no longer be detected, likely meaning her Fibers used it to bridge between their nature and her new magic."

"Well, sounds like we've covered everything," Ryuko spoke up grumpily.  "If you excuse me, I'm going to bed.  Apparently, coming back to life is exhausting.  Who knew?"

"You probably did already," Satsuki teased.  "I'd say you've come close to doing so a time or two."

"Oh get bent, sis!" Ryuko snapped playfully as she and Mako left, heading for their room.

Rias groaned and rubbed her forehead.  "Tell me honestly, Satsuki-san...how much am I likely to end up drinking over everything Ryuko's going to put me through?"

"Unless you mean tea, I'd recommend not starting," Satsuki responded calmly.  "Assuming enough alcohol even exists, it would probably kill even a Devil."  She suppressed an amused smile as Rias groaned and buried her face in her hands.


	10. Chapter 10

Ryuko calmly walked side by side with her sister, Satsuki, as they made their way to the old schoolhouse, now the Occult Research Club's clubhouse...and the home base of Rias Gremory and her demonic peerage, of which Ryuko was now a member.  Ryuko didn't really understand why Satsuki was coming too, but understood it had something to do with the 'families' now being allies.  Unfortunately, Ryuko's understanding of politics and negotiations boiled down to 'punch the idiots until they stop being idiots', so the explanation escaped her.  She didn't really mind, though, as it meant she'd probably get to see Rias squirm again, which would be entertaining.

As they entered, Ryuko looked around the main room.  There were a couple of comfortable looking couches, an antique looking desk with a chair behind it, a table between the two couches...and a shower and tub behind a curtain just off to one side?  Ryuko raised an eyebrow at that, but a glance at Satsuki showed she wasn't surprised in the least.  Apparently, having your own private shower readily available somewhere other than home where you held power was a 'rich, noble thing' rather than a 'Devil thing', so Ryuko shrugged it off and took in what else she could see.

The overall structure of the building was old, with well treated wood everywhere one looked and barely any metal in sight.  The warm lighting provided by a few wall lamps left it feeling cozy and homey rather than primitive or enclosed as it might have.  A few halls led off in other directions, indicating there was more to the clubhouse than this room, but there wasn't as much signs of life in those halls as there was in this room.  Plainly, while the whole place was well maintained, little beside this room saw much use.

"Ah, you're here," Rias spoke up as she stepped around from behind the curtain, straightening her uniform.  "Welcome."

Satsuki nodded calmly.  Ryuko stretched, not as impressed as she probably should have been.  After seeing what Satsuki could afford to 'throw away' for one, two, and three star families at her school, displays of wealth had no effect on her anymore.  Not only that, she'd always been more at home in the cozy if dilapidated no-star apartment the Mankanshoku family had while there than in any of the manors provided for the higher ranks.  Aside from that, she'd yet to see anything from Rias to earn her respect.

Rias clasped her hands together.  "I've asked you both here today to introduce you to the rest of my peerage, and vice versa," she explained calmly.  "Normally this would just be for Ryuko as a new member of the Peerage, but as you are head of her family, in the name of our alliance you should know them as well."

"Understandable," Satsuki allowed calmly.

"Would you like to take a seat?" Rias offered, gesturing to the couch.

"Not just yet," Satsuki responded instantly.  "After I have gauged your Peerage, I will sit."

Rias sighed, rubbing her forehead.  She then lifted her other hand, a small red circle appearing in the air between her palm and fingers.  "Akeno, please bring the others in."

"Yes, Rias-sama," Akeno's voice responded instantly.  Shortly thereafter, one of the other doors opened, and Akeno stepped in.  With her was Yuuto Kiba and Koneko Toujou.  They both glanced curiously at Satsuki and Ryuko, and Akeno seemed surprised by Satsuki's presence.

"Everyone, this is Ryuko Matoi, our newest member," Rias introduced calmly.  "And this is her sister Satsuki Kiryuin, the head of Ryuko's family and our new ally."  While Satsuki's eyebrow gave a barely perceptible lift at that introduction, it plainly surprised the others but quieted their questions.  Rias then turned back to Satsuki and Ryuko.  "And these are the rest of my peerage, your new comrades, Ryuko.  You've already met Akeno Himejima, my Queen."

"It is surprising just how quickly you've adjusted, Ryuko-san," Akeno observed softly.  She then giggled a trifle wickedly.  "Ara, ara, my new kouhai is just full of surprises, isn't she?"

"You have no idea..." Rias groaned, rubbing her forehead.  Her expression soured a trifle when she saw Ryuko and Satsuki both smirking, though Ryuko far more noticeably.  She then decided to move on, in order of age and seniority.  "This is Yuuto Kiba, my Knight."

Yuuto gave a formal bow.  "It is a pleasure to meet you both, Satsuki-dono, Ryuko-san."

Satsuki raised an eyebrow at the form of address, but Ryuko just smirked.  "Don't be so stuck up, Ken-bozu(1).  Relax a little!"

Yuuto's eyes twitched briefly, but a firm glance from Rias quieted him.  Sighing, Rias walked over to the last member to be introduced.  "And this is our little Koneko Toujou, my Rook."

"Pleased to meet you, Ryuko-sempai," Koneko greeted quietly, her voice monotone and barely audible.

Ryuko glanced at her for a time, then nodded.  "Yeah, likewise, Koneko-san."

Satsuki's eyebrow climbed at that in surprise, but she filed it away for later.  "Is there a reason you are introducing them as Chess Pieces?"

Rias nodded.  "Yes.  It is in reference to the Evil Pieces that reincarnated them as Devils."  Reaching into a desk drawer, she set out a Rook, Bishop, and Knight piece, white laced with gold.  "For certain reasons, they are themed after Chess Pieces, and shape the magic of the one revived after the nature of the Piece.  Thus, selection of the proper piece is important when raising someone, though my choices were limited."

Satsuki glanced from the pieces to those gathered and frowned.  "And which piece did you use to raise Ryuko?"

Before Rias spoke up, Ryuko interrupted.  "Eight Pawns, right?" she asked, getting a startled glance her way from Rias.  "I was bored this morning, so I took a look inside.  There were eight magical focuses bound up in my fibers, though they looked different from each other.  Since you treat the names of pieces as titles, I'm guessing you can't mix and match."

Rias nodded.  "That's right.  And each piece has a...call it a numerical value related to the potential as a Devil of the one being raised, and that value must be greater or equal.  It required all eight Pawns to raise you..."  Her voice trailed off, and she lifted her hand.  A circle appeared...only for Life Fiber energy to spark around it as an image appeared briefly before the circle shattered.  "And it appears that several of them have become Mutation Pieces.  I really shouldn't be surprised..."

"Mutation Pieces?" Satsuki asked curiously.

"It's what happens when something about the nature of the power of the one being Raised alters the Evil Piece through their development, giving it the abilities of other pieces in the process," Rias explained calmly.  "It's rather rare.  I've only seen it once before."

"Your Bishop you aren't introducing to us, for some reason?" Satsuki asked incisively.

Rias frowned.  "For now, that is something we will not discuss..."

Satsuki nodded her acceptance of this directive, though her curiosity was aroused.

Sighing, Rias rubbed her forehead briefly before straightening.  "Now then, in order for a Devil to gain magical power and increase in standing, they need to fulfill contracts," she explained, lifting a flier like the one Ryuko had unwittingly used to summon her.  "However, it has been many centuries since it was legal for Devils to take souls as payment.  Other forms of payment are utilized now, as the Contract itself is what's important for growth, rather than the nature of payment."

"How am I supposed to know what to ask for, then?" Ryuko demanded irritably.

"It varies," Yuuto explained calmly.  "For the most part, it's what you consider worth it for your investment of time and effort, assuming the request is only for something physical, which is rather frequent."  He smiled softly.  "One of my regulars summons me just to cook her a nice dinner after a long day at work."

Ryuko couldn't help but smirk at that.  "Just dinner, Ken-bozu?"  Yuuto glowered, but remained silent.

"The calculation is different if what is asked for requires an investment of magic, however," Rias explained calmly.  "The price there is more strictly regulated, to prevent price gouging competition between Devil families, and because the payment is frequently in terms of time in service."  She calmly pulled out her smartphone and thumbed through a few pages before showing it to Ryuko and Satsuki.  "We use this App for that."(2)

Ryuko didn't know whether to laugh or facepalm, and could only stare.  "...right..." she finally allowed, deciding to push past that.  "So, what's up first for me, then?"

"Your first task will be to pass out fliers," Rias explained calmly, setting out a stack.  "So-"

"Got it!" Ryuko replied, grabbing the stack and leaping out the window to the top of the nearest tree.  "Later, Rias-dono!" she called back as she used the bending of the tree to catapult herself out over the city.

Noticing the way Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko were reacting to that form of address, Satsuki decided to speak up.  "Don't react too strongly to her choice in address," she explained calmly.  "Ryuko has no real respect for tradition or normal rules of etiquette, and has her own rules for how she talks to people."

"She does?" Koneko asked curiously as the others turned to Satsuki.

Satsuki nodded calmly.  "From what I've seen, just about every suffix she uses is in some way, shape, or form teasing or taunting the one she addresses, with only five exceptions...the most significant being when she chooses to use none."  She turned to Rias.  "When she addresses you by name with no title, you'll know you've earned her respect."

Rias blinked in surprise at that, but remembered from the discussion at their house how, while Ryuko had slung many insulting phrases at Satsuki, she had never attached a suffix to her name...save when she called her 'Nee-chan'.  "And...chan?"

"Chan and Kun she uses to show affection," Satsuki explained.  "She only uses those she feels intimately close to...and that's only three people.  Myself..."  He voice trailed off, a warm smile on her face transforming her from an intimidating figure to a breathtaking beauty.  She then looked back up.  "The other two are Mako and Guts...and Guts is the only reason I know she uses Kun for affection."

"And they are?" Akeno asked curiously.

"Her girlfriend and her girlfriend's dog, respectively," Satsuki explained, making Yuuto suppress a snort.

"That's three exceptions," Koneko pointed out calmly.  "But she called me San."

Satsuki nodded sadly.  "San she uses if she doesn't know how to feel about someone, and wants to keep them at a distance until she's more sure of herself.  Something about you left her uncertain."  She frowned thoughtfully at Koneko.  "...it is probably your strong if untapped spiritual presence.  Ryuko's nature makes her far more attuned to those things than I am, so she likely felt it even stronger, and didn't know how to react."  Seeing Koneko lower her gaze and the rest move defensively around her, Satsuki raised an eyebrow.  "Another thing we won't be discussing just yet?"

Rias nodded.  "Yes.  That is something that is...difficult for Koneko to deal with."

Satsuki nodded calmly.  "Acceptable.  However, this last is a warning: if you ever hear Ryuko refer to someone as 'Senpai', grab the nearest mop.  You'll need it before long."

Remembering what little she'd seen of Ryuko's abilities - and the way she'd reacted to a perceived threat to those she cared about - Rias swallowed nervously.  "I'll keep one close at hand, just in case..."

 

* * *

* * *

_(1) "bozu" is a rather teasing suffix approximately translated as 'little boy'.  'Ken' meaning 'sword', Ryuko is tauntingly calling Yuuto "little sword boy".  
_

_(2) Idea borrowed from "Devil Arts Online" by fanfiction user Greatazuredragon._


	11. Chapter 11

It wasn't long before Ryuko returned to the clubhouse, having delivered all of the fliers she'd been given to pass out.  It had proven a surprisingly easy task, as she'd simply chosen to shape each flier into a paper airplane, touch a bit of her energy to it, and sending it flying into the bags of anyone she happened to spot.  Tapping her magic - which she realized that energy was - was similar to when shaping her Life Fiber energy which happened instinctively, but she perceived some differences the moment she tapped it...either her Fibers translating for her, or silent observations from the dragon in her right hand, she wasn't sure which.  He hadn't spoken aloud since she'd been revived, so she presumed 'later' just hadn't happened yet.

Magic appeared to be shaped by visualization, however, so she'd simply focused on the idea of the fliers going unnoticed until the person was alone, and then drawing attention when the bag was unpacked, having unfolded itself in that time.  She'd followed the first one from above to ensure it worked as she'd intended it, then gone back to work.

As she leaped from a nearby tree into the clubhouse through the same open window she'd left from, she found the rest of the club waiting for her...though no sign of Satsuki.  "Sis head home already?" she asked curiously.

"Yes," Rias confirmed.  "She felt her presence was no longer needed.  Have you finished your deliveries already?"

"Yup!" Ryuko confirmed.  "Each and every flier delivered to someone, and they'll find it when they think about wanting something they don't or can't have."

Rias raised an eyebrow at that.  "How do you know-"  She froze as a red glow briefly appeared in her eyes.  "You've figured out that much magic _already_?" she gasped in surprise, making the others look up in interest.

Ryuko shrugged.  "I'd already seen some magic, and you mentioned using it to hide evidence.  Figured misdirection and redirection were part of it.  Just had to get the thought right."

"Ara ara," Akeno observed in amusement as the others stared.  "I see what Satsuki-dono meant about her being full of surprises.  She adapts amazingly well."

"Almost frighteningly well," Rias murmured.  She then continued at a more normal volume.  "However, I'm glad you returned when you did.  Koneko has received two summons tonight, and I was hoping you would take one for her, to get a handle on what it is like."

"Thank you for the help," Koneko offered in her normal monotone.

"...don't mention it," Ryuko replied a bit stiffly, still trying to figure out how to behave around the almost feline girl.

**_Heh, almost._ **

Ryuko blinked in surprise as she heard that voice in her mind.  _So talking to me now?_   Only silence greeted her.  Stifling her irritation, she watched as Akeno conjured the teleportation circle.

"Please give me your left hand, Ryuko," Rias instructed.

Deciding she needed a bit of levity to deal with her irritation, Ryuko tore her left hand off - leaving it attached by a single Fiber - and tossed it to Rias.  "There you go!" she called happily as Koneko's eyes widened, Akeno gasped, and Yuuto covered his mouth.

Rias caught the hand awkwardly, staring flat-eyed at Ryuko.  "...very funny," she scolded before taking hold of the thread and tugging her over.  Ignoring Ryuko's wide grin, she reattached the hand and inscribed a crest on the palm in magic.  "That's the Gremory Family crest," she explained as it vanished into Ryuko's flesh.  "Now that it's inscribed, you can use our teleportation circles.  No one without a crest can be taken through them."

"Alright," Ryuko said as she moved to step into the circle as Akeno stepped out.  The moment she was the only one inside, the glowing circle violently shattered into energy and dispersed.  "...as I'm still here, I'm guessing that wasn't supposed to happen?"

"No, it wasn't," Akeno observed calmly.  "It appears your mix of energies is incompatible with teleportation magic without a stabilizing element.  Until you're able to craft your own teleportation circles that take this into account, you won't be able to use them alone."

Ryuko shrugged.  "Oh well.  Gimme a location and I'll go the long way."

* * *

It wasn't long before Ryuko reached the location she was looking for.  Locating the room in question, she spied out the situation from outside via a window.  From what she could see, the room contained a great deal of anime related merchandise of various sorts, very little furniture...and a sewing machine and table tucked in an out of the way corner.  She couldn't see the client, but she could see a space cleared that looked about the right size for a teleportation circle.

She decided to make a good impression.  Since she couldn't warp through the flier, there were other 'magical' ways in.  Spreading her wings, she hovered upside down in front of the window and knocked, her skirt hanging as though gravity were towards the sky instead of the ground because she willed it to.

A long haired, slim bodied young man in glasses stepped into view in the window, only to gape in surprise.

"Morisawa-san, right?" she asked happily.  "Koneko got double-booked tonight, so I'm the rookie filling in for her.  Care to let me in so I can hear your request?"

The man frowned as he stared.  "Why didn't you come out the flier?" he demanded, holding it up.  Plainly, he was a regular.

"Paperwork snafu," she lied blandly.  "They haven't gotten around to keying me to the flier yet, so I have to run and fly.  Could you open the window?  My arms are getting tired."  She waved her arms as though flapping.

Whether because he believed her or because he was just flabbergasted, he opened the window and Ryuko slipped in, her wings folding as she somersaulted to land in the clear space.  She then leaned back against a ladder to the bed high up.  "So what can I do for you tonight?"

"Uh...I normally call for Koneko-chan..." he began awkwardly.

"And what does she usually do for you?" Ryuko pressed, one eyebrow raised.

"Cosplay and princess carry!" he declared happily, pulling out what looked like a school uniform.

Ryuko opened her mouth to reply scathingly, but hesitated.  The costume...there were no Life Fibers in it.  Glancing around, she saw no trace of Life Fiber energy anywhere in the apartment, or in Morisawa-san.  "...you make your own clothes and cosplay?" she asked, gesturing at the sewing machine.

"Yeah," he replied awkwardly.  "My parents were super naturalists, and _everything_ we had was made by ourselves or we didn't use it.  When I moved out, I wanted to experience the rest of the world...but for some reason, manufactured clothes felt horrible on my body, even when made from the same materials."  He scratched his chin thoughtfully.  "Especially from this one company with an odd name..."

"REVOCS?" Ryuko asked incisively.

"Yeah, that was it!" he replied, then blinked in confusion.  "Wait, how did..."  He then paused as he stared at her, really looking at her.  Blinking, he removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on.  "No way..."

"Hmm?" Ryuko asked as she pulled out some canned tea she'd brought with in case she got thirsty.  "Something you wanna say?"  Popping the top, she took a drink.

Gasping in shock, Morisawa dove into a closet...and came out holding a uniform patterned in design after Senketsu.

Ryuko choked on her tea, spinning so the resulting spit take didn't hit her client.  "W-where did you get that?" she demanded.

"Made it myself!" he declared eagerly.  "Patterned it after the outfit of the Crimson Heroine!  That's you, right?"

"The what?"

"Crimson Heroine," Morisawa explained.  "The girl who fought the Crimson Night and won!"

"H-how do you know about that?" Ryuko demanded in shock.

"Are you kidding?" Morisawa asked as he opened something on his computer.  "We've been trying to figure out why so _few_ know!"

Ryuko stared as she saw images of herself wearing Senketsu - in all his various forms - sprawled across the screen, along with images of the Life Fiber Nativity as it happened as those who wore REVOCS clothing were pulled into the sky.  An entire web community of those who hadn't been seized by the Life Fibers who were obsessed with figuring it out...and with her, apparently.  Groaning, she put her head in her hands.

* * *

 

Ryuko groaned as she walked back towards the clubhouse to report the events.  Due to the shocker of the web group dedicated to her - not to mention the _fanfiction_ written by the members that shipped her with everyone from Gamagoori to Iori to _her own sister_ and not _one_ mentioning Mako - she hadn't been able to make a contract.  Though to be blunt, she didn't really care about that.  This headache was more important to deal with.

_**Watch out!** _

When that warning sounded in her ear, she dove to the side, barely dodging a Light Spear that had been hurled at her.  Turning towards where it came from, she saw a blue haired woman in a tight fitting trenchcoat.  "How are you alive-" the woman began.

"You have bad timing!" Ryuko snapped as she flung her left arm out.  Fibers leapt from her arm, wrapped around the woman, and yanked her off her feet towards Ryuko.  Before the woman could do more than shout in surprise, Ryuko's right fist crushed her skull into the pavement, causing her body to burst into energy and black feathers.

_**Now that's more like it!**_ the voice in her head declared proudly.  _**You didn't even need to call me out to-**_

"Either give answers or shut up!" Ryuko snarled at her right fist.  "I'm not in the mood for mysteries or bandying words."

The voice was quiet for a time.  _**...I'll talk after you've hugged Mako-chan,**_ it allowed.  _**You'll be calmer then.**_

Shaking her head and muttering incoherent imprecations under her breath, she made her way home.  She'd report to Rias in the morning.

 


	12. Chapter 12

While her family showed concern as she returned so abruptly and silently, Ryuko declined to actually explain anything to anyone...or even speak much for that matter.  Mako seemed to understand her desire for quiet, so it wasn't long before she was curled up in bed holding Mako close.  With the lights off and the sounds of the rest of the family distant - indicating they were respecting her privacy for once, she'd have to act moody more often - Ryuko slipped easily into slumber, trying hard _not_ to think about what she'd seen online earlier.

* * *

She was running.  She had to run.  She didn't know why, but she had to.  She could feel her breath running out, her muscles screaming, her Fibers tearing...but she couldn't stop.  It didn't matter if her lungs couldn't get air, if her heart couldn't beat, she couldn't stop.

She saw it, what she was chasing.  Ragyo smirked at her, a finger to her tongue as her other hand grasped...

Mako was screaming for her, calling for help.  But she couldn't reach her.  She tried to call out, but had no voice.  She tried to reach, but her arms wouldn't move.  She struggled...and found her body moving in ways she didn't want.  She saw the white fabric around the limbs, heard her voice shouting hateful things, saw Mako flinching in fear and despair...

She screamed in rage and fury as flames erupted from her body, burning away Junketsu, Senketsu, Ragyo...she couldn't control it-

**Enough!**

The voice shattered the dream, leaving Ragyo floating above a sea of flames with a massive crimson reptilian figure staring down at her from within it.  The face was in no way remotely human, and yet Ryuko could read the confusion and concern writ large upon it.  **...what did that woman do to you?** the beast asked, its voice more in her mind than her ears.

Ryuko slowly curled up, trying to push the dream from memory.  On the outside she could act tough, brush things aside...but inside, the wounds built up.  The horrors built up.  She flinched back from the memory of Ragyo's touch...

**Enough,** the voice stated, firmly yet more calmly as the memories were pushed from Ryuko's awareness.  **No wonder seeing that forum threw you off so much...**

Slowly, Ryuko uncurled to face the creature.  "So what are you, anyway?" she demanded, trying to get her own fire into her voice.

For some reason, she thought the beast's expression became pleased, and a trifle triumphant.  **That's more like it, partner!** it crowed eagerly.  **Wounds of the heart feed the fire that consumes the foe, not quenches it!  This is the one I chose when the Crimson Night set me adrift!**   The beast flared its wings, lifting its head as power erupted in flames around it.  **I am the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig!  I am the spirit that resides in your right arm!  Feel my power!!**

Power erupted within Ryuko's right hand as a circle of green blazed on the back.  She held her hand up as she watched and felt the power build and grow, rapidly eclipsing almost anything she'd ever encountered.  Eventually, she clenched her fist to steel herself as the flow of power increased to new heights...and then grinned widely as she felt herself adjusting.  The power in no way decreased or slowed its build, but it gradually became less and less overwhelming.

Ddraig threw his head back, his mouth opening in a roar as he laughed in her mind.  **Now _this_ is the partner I've been looking for!** he crowed triumphantly.  **I haven't been able to unleash this much power since I was whole, and you're not even flinching!  I can hardly wait until something occurs that makes you unleash me outside the dream!  Show the fools wait it means to be Sekiryutei, the Crimson Dragon Emperor!!!**

As she felt the power continue to grow - power that was at her command - Ryuko felt her fears fading as her grin widened.  This was a feeling she'd missed...one she'd thought lost since...

In the fires, an image of a creature of energy that seemed mostly mouth gazed warmly upon her, posed as though to swallow her in a comforting, familiar way.

_No,_ she thought to herself.  _This doesn't replace you, Senketsu.  Nothing can.  But now...I'm not fighting alone anymore.  I'm...better this way..._

* * *

 

Ryuko calmly made her way back towards school via a rather...circuitous route.  While meeting Ddraig in the dream had calmed her somewhat - to the point she could talk and joke with her family over breakfast - she still felt the need to clear her head somewhat.  As such, she'd managed to convince Mako - after much cajoling, wheedling, and bargaining - to head to school without her while she wandered the streets for the first time, simply letting nature be a part of her for once.  Maybe she'd actually have time to relax and _adjust_ to developments for once.

She sighed softly as she relaxed in the wind...only to be distracted by a quiet yelp of pain.  Turning to the source, she blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

She wasn't.  A young blonde girl dressed like a nun had tripped over her bags practically right in front of her.

**And here I thought from what I browsed you knew better than to tempt fate,** Ddraig observed drolly in her mind.

_...shut up..._


	13. Chapter 13

Mentally shaking herself out of the irritation Ddraig's words caused her, Ryuko stepped up to the blonde girl.  "Are you alright?" she asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

"Y-yes," the young woman said gently, accepting the hand up.  Her voice was soft and hesitant, and she seemed very uncertain of herself as she stood upright.  "T-thank you-"  A sudden wind blew away the shawl she was wearing in place of a cowl, setting her long blonde tresses to billowing in the breeze as her bright green eyes were revealed in her angelic face.

Ryuko's hand shot out to seize the shawl as it blew without her even thinking about it.  "You should hold that down with a pin or something," she said idly as she handed it back and released the girl's hand.  She struggled to maintain her focus against the impulses that awoke on her own, the very same impulses that awoke when she first met Mako.

_This is a helpless innocent who needs someone to take care of her._

It was even harder to resist than it had been when meeting Mako, since she didn't have the overwhelming desire for vengeance she did then.  Sure, she still wanted to reduce Raynare to a bloody smear...but having done so to another Fallen Angel with a single punch, it was less a confrontation she was looking forward to and more something to check off her 'to-do' list.

Without even thinking about it, she knelt down to grab the girl's suitcase...which she hadn't even noticed before kneeling to grab it.  A brief weave of her threads and the clothing that had spilled out was back inside, packed a trifle more efficiently so the case wasn't in as much danger of bursting open.  "You on a trip or something?" she asked calmly as she held it out.

"N-no, nothing like that," the girl offered hesitantly.  "I was assigned to this town's church."

"So...you're actually a nun?" Ryuko asked in surprise.  "Well, you're heading the wrong way.  Last I checked the church was that way."  She pointed off in a different direction.

Ryuko gently twiddled her fingers awkwardly.  "Yes...I got lost..." she offered apologetically.

Ryuko chuckled and shook her head.  "Why am I the one who finds all the strays?" she jested ruefully.  "I honestly can't blame you.  I still have trouble navigating these streets."

"Then how do you know the way?" the girl asked thoughtfully.

"I generally take the rooftops," Ryuko answered easily.

The girl's eyes lit up.  "Oh, you do...was it parkour?"

"Not exactly," Ryuko answered as she leapt into the sky.  Once above, she got a quick look and spotted the path to the Church, plotting it out in her mind as she came down.  "We go this way."

"Owow!" the girl marveled as she landed.  "How did you do that?"

Ryuko shrugged.  "I'm just awesome like that," she said as she turned to lead the way.

The girl smiled as she followed along.  "I'm so glad to have met someone so nice and amazing as you," she said happily.  "It must have been divine guidance."

As she spoke, Ryuko spotted the silver cross the girl was wearing around her neck.  She felt her demon side flinch as the metal glinted in the sun.  _So holy power harms me the same as light now that I'm a demon, huh?_ she thought silently to herself.  _Guess that's another reason to be careful not to touch besides Mako possibly getting jealous._

**You're more worried about your girlfriend getting jealous than you are being burned to nothingness in holy flame,** Ddraig observed idly in her mind.  **...that's the way to prioritize!**

As Ryuko smiled, she heard someone crying in pain. _Great, another stray..._ she thought, only to see the young sister having moved to kneel beside the crying boy.  As Ryuko watched, the girl held her hands over the boy's scraped knee, and a green light emitted from her hands.  Under the light, the scrape sealed itself up.  Superimposed in the light were the image of a pair of silver rings on the girl's middle fingers, rings that weren't there before the light appeared.  The light seemed to be coming from the rings, and she felt a surge of power from her right hand.  _Another sacred gear?_

**Indeed,** Ddraig confirmed.  **Twilight Healing.**

"There, your wound's good as new now," the girl told the young boy, only to hesitate as she noticed Ryuko watching.  "Sorry, force of habit," she apologized, sticking her tongue out slightly in an adorable manner.

Ryuko just smirked.  "Looks like I'm not the only one here who's 'amazing'," she teased.  "And here I thought 'laying on hands' was just in games."

"Eh?" she asked in confusion.

Ryuko paused, wondering why that left her stumped.  She didn't think the joke was _that_ obscure...

As they turned and left, she decided to press the issue slightly.  "So...pretty neat trick back there," she observed calmly, trying not to come across to strong.

The girl nodded happily.  "Yes.  It's a wonderful power granted to me by god."  Her smile faded from her eyes.  "Yes...a wonderful power..."

"One that has left you isolated within the church as the burden of everyone's hopes for that power and what it can do for them weigh on you to the point you never have time for yourself, and your only recourse is to tell yourself it's part of some 'plan' and it'll be worth it in the end?" Ryuko asked incisively.

The girl's eyes widened in shock.  "H...how...?"

Ryuko smiled warmly.  "I've played a lot of video games," she offered readily.  "I've seen this plot twist a few times."  Reaching out, she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders.  "The power was given to _you_.  That means whatever gave it to you - whether God or whatever someone else will call it based on how you use it - meant for _you_ to have it, and use it as felt right for _you_ , not how someone else tells you it's meant to be used.  If you're asked to use it in a way that doesn't feel right, then you weren't meant to use it that way.  Trust in your heart and your faith, not the words of others."  She blinked as she pulled her hands back.  "Yare yare, my sister's rubbing off on me.  I never used to go into speeches..."

"Your sister sounds as amazing as you are..." the girl observed softly, her eyes wide in amazement.  "Thank you for your kind words.  I'll remember them...um..."

"Oh right, I didn't introduce myself!" Ryuko said with a slap to her forehead.  "Least my manners are still shit, I actually feel like myself now."  Though the girl blushed at the curse word, she giggled at Ryuko's antics otherwise.  "I'm Ryuko Matoi."

"A pleasure to meet you," the girl offered, bowing politely.  "I'm Asia Argento."

"Nice to meet you, Asia-chan," Ryuko offered without thinking.  She then pointed.  "There's the church right up there.  I'd go with you...but I've got my own unresolved issues with God, in case you couldn't tell.  I'm not really ready to go pray again."

"Oh..." Asia offered sadly.

"But if I ever am, you'll be the first to know," Ryuko promised, putting a smile back on the girl's face.

"I'll be waiting, Ryuko-san!" she offered happily as she turned to head for the church.

Ryuko watched her go for a time, then turned to face the Church.  She'd felt the same hostile throb from the building as she had from Asia's cross, and knew the place would repel her if it were sanctified.  But she wasn't about to let something like that scare her off or keep her away from a friend.

**Heh, looks like things are going to be interesting...**


	14. Chapter 14

"And just where have you been?" Rias demanded the moment Ryuko stepped into the 'clubhouse'.

Ryuko glowered back, unhappy to see the entire rest of the 'devil team' was there as well, like this was some sort of dressing down.  "I don't see why that's _your_ business," she snapped back.  "Last I recall, our deal said you didn't have authority over my day to day life."

"You never came back from your contract attempt last night!" Rias pressed angrily.  "If Satsuki wasn't always keeping track of you-"

"Which is _her_ business, not yours!" Ryuko interrupted angrily.  She tossed her school bag aside as she clenched her fists, resisting the urge to let the fire in her right hand manifest.  "So forgive me for thinking you would stick to the contract, Gremory-me!"

Rias' eyes hardened at the insult, her fists clenching as she felt her power starting to build.  The tension in the room was intense as everyone was braced.  She tried to glare Ryuko down, only to see the fire there.  If she tried to cow her, it would only lead to a fight...and seeing the energy of Destruction in amongst her fibers as they weaved around her, she doubted the outcome of the fight would be clean or certain.  On top of that, having the others watch this sort of fight - against one of her own - would undermine all the work she'd put to try and build them up as family...not to mention the anarchy that would result should she lose, let alone the political ramifications.  Knowing that fighting would be pointless and counterproductive, she took a deep breath to calm down.  Closing her eyes, she forced herself to relax.  "Ryuko...you need to report in after responding to a summons.  For one, I need to know whether you made a contract, so it can be accredited to your power.  For another, there are other dangers out there beyond what you encountered already, and you're still a new devil."

"I'll remember to call next time," Ryuko snarled, plainly still gunning for a fight.

"Not only that," Akeno spoke up suddenly, "if you continue to act so recklessly, it will reflect badly on Rias-sama...and on your own family through the alliance."

Ryuko's eyes narrowed angrily, but the tension left her body.  "...fine..." she spat, turning with her arms crossed.

Rias relaxed, smiling at Akeno, glad that the tension and conflict had been dispelled.  "In the future, Ryuko, please report back to me after a summons or any other Devil related event before going back to your life as part of Satsuki's family.  It will make things easier for everyone."  She then took a seat behind her desk as everyone relaxed.  "Now, please tell me how it went.  Did you successfully make a contract?"

"Nah," Ryuko responded ruefully as she plopped into a chair, not bothering to arrange herself for any sense of decorum and leaving one leg draped over an arm.  "Got thrown off when I found out anyone with regular contact with the occult was part of an online community trying to figure out the 'Crimson Night'...and writing fanfiction about me."

Rias winced sympathetically even as she giggled.  "Yes...being a significant figure can result in some...awkward discoveries.  Especially once you have 'fans'."

"How many of your 'fans' ship you with a sibling?" Ryuko pressed irritably.

"More than you would think," Akeno offered teasingly.

"Akeno!" Rias gasped as she began to blush.  "Don't-"

"Rias-sama's Onii-sama has a well known little sister complex," Akeno continued, smirking teasingly at Rias.

"Mou..." Rias whimpered, burying her face in her hands.

Ryuko managed a smirk.  "Heh.  Guess you know what that's like."  She frowned irritably.  "Still, it would have been nice if _one_ fic had shipped me with Mako!"

Rias struggled not to laugh, and did a better job resisting the urge than Yuuto.  Even Koneko was smirking a bit at that.  "Well, I can understand why you would need to clear your head after that-"

"Pasting the Fallen Angel on the way home didn't help either," Ryuko continued.

"Wait, what?!" Rias demanded sitting upright.  "You battled a Fallen Angel?"

"I'd hardly call it a 'battle'," Ryuko countered.  "She threw a light spear at me that I dodged, she started babbling about how I was supposed to be dead, I pulled a Scorpion and smashed her head into the pavement with a single bunch and her body exploded."

"Pulled a...Scorpion?" Yuuto pressed, expressing the confusion of most of those present.

"Get over here," Koneko mumbled with a mild smirk, not noticing the confused glances sent her way.

"Heh, someone gets it, eh Koneko?" Ryuko joked easily, feeling more at ease with the little hunter now that she'd found common ground.  Apparently, she was a gamer.

Rias rubbed her forehead while pursing her lips.  "I don't know whether to be pleased about you being able to slay a Fallen Angel so easily, or worried about what sort of conflicts this might bring..."

"So...anything I need to know about churches?" Ryuko asked.  "I felt some energy from one when I was guiding a new friend there-"

"Never set foot in a church," Rias insisted firmly.  "They're enemy territory to Devils, and you could incite battle with God if you even set foot there."

"...really, now?" Ryuko purred, a crazed grin on her face.  "I'll have to keep that in mind..."

"...by the four Satans..." Rias murmured as she buried her face in her hands.


	15. Chapter 15

Rias had _attempted_ to impress the seriousness of conflict with the church on Ryuko by explaining what it meant for a Devil to be Exorcised.  However, even the threat of becoming _nothing_ didn't sway her from the idea of such an intense battle.  As she put it, "I haven't been sure of having a soul long enough to worry too much about losing it, and what's the fun of a big fight if the stakes aren't high?"

Thinking back on it, she rubbed her forehead as she focused on the now.  The Archduke had sent them a message regarding a 'Stray Demon' on the loose in the town, which was her territory.  As such, she was going to get to demonstrate to Ryuko what a battle was like for Devils, and the significance of the roles of the Evil Pieces and how they enhanced various abilities.  In a surprising - though not entirely unexpected - turn of events, Satsuki was also in attendance to witness the capabilities of Devils, Stray or otherwise.

"You realize we won't be able to spare attention to keep you safe during the battle, yes?" she asked of Satsuki as they arrived at the deserted house where the 'Stray Demon' was known to hide out.

Satsuki turned and gave her a 'look'.  Rias could feel the focused will gathered inside Satsuki's being.  While not at the same power as an heir of one of the 72 Pillars, it would easily eclipse some of the weaker Queens she was aware of.  If she was capable of exerting it beyond her own body, it would probably be enough for her to strike the 'Stray Demon' down on her own...and the wooden sword she carried with her suggested she knew exactly how to do so.

"...I meant no insult," Rias added carefully.  "It is simply that you are in my territory, and my ally.  As this is your first exposure to Devils in action, your safety and well being are my responsibility."

The 'look' faded and Satsuki nodded.  "You have nothing to worry about," she assured her.  "Now...do explain how these battles normally go."

Rias nodded in response.  "Yuuto," she called calmly.

Nodding, Yuuto took up the narrative, explaining to Satsuki and Ryuko how a 'Stray Demon' was a Devil Servant who had betrayed and/or killed its former Master to live as it wanted.  However, without the ability to make contracts, the only way a 'Stray Demon' could sustain itself without a driving ambition was to consume humans.  As such, High Class Devils such as Rias took it upon themselves to police such Demons to protect humanity from them.

"So you clean up your messes," Satsuki deduced calmly.  "That is good to know."

Rias flinched from the words at first, but quickly realized the 'you' in her statement referred to Devils as a whole, rather than Rias specifically.  Nodding, she slowly pushed open the doors.  "Tonight you'll see what undisciplined abuse of Demonic power causes..."

"She's here," Koneko stated calmly.

As everyone - except Satsuki and Ryuko - tensed up, a voice echoed from the darkness.  "I smell something bad..." the voice purred.  "At the same time, I smell something delicious..."  On the last word, the voice took on almost ecstatic overtones.  "Will it be sweet?  Or will it be bitter?"  On the last word, a figure partially revealed itself in the shadows, appearing to be a naked woman visible from the hips up with long black hair.

Ryuko raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Noticing this, Rias remained clinical.  "Stray Demon type, Visor.  They run away from their Master to fulfill their own desires.  For their sins, they deserve death."  She then focused her attention on the Stray Demon.  "In the name of Duke Gremory, I'll kick your ass!"

Satsuki's gaze went flat as she gave Rias another 'look'.

"What an insolent girl!" the figure purred, raising upright as - for some reason - it began to fondle its breasts.  "I'll cover you with blood as red as your hair!"

"Is this back and forth necessary?" Ryuko demanded dryly.  "Or can we get to the fighting?"

With a laugh, the creature reared up...revealing a massive bestial lower body with huge, talon-like feet, a large blue gemstone where the human and monstrous portions met.  As the laughter intensified, magic circles surrounded the figure's nipples as they became erect...and began firing lasers.

Rias and Koneko prepared to move to get Ryuko and Satsuki out of the way...only for Satsuki to calmly deflect the blasts with her sword while Ryuko batted them aside with her bare hands.  "...did that even reach two star?" Ryuko asked Satsuki thoughtfully.  "Felt like a one star hit to me, but I might just be tougher from turning Devil."

"No, about equivalent to the power of a One Star," Satsuki confirmed.  "Perhaps a little stronger..."  She glanced at where the deflected blasts had burned holes in the walls where they'd impacted, melting the material to slag.  "Though that would prove problematic.  Three or four One Stars with a Two Star in charge would be able to trounce this thing if that's all it's got besides brute force."  She then turned to Rias.  "You were going to demonstrate?"

Nodding, Rias turned to the others.  "Yuuto!"  She smiled proudly as Yuuto demonstrated the speed of a Knight, seemingly blurring out of vision as he dashed forward, cutting off the bestial arms of the creature with his sword.

Satsuki raised an eyebrow.  "He wasn't really pushing himself...but I'd rate this showing about equivalent to Uzu taking it easy."

"Yeah, he doesn't need a Goku Uniform to go top speed anymore," Ryuko confirmed.  "A sword fight between the two would be interesting to see."

The creature began to scream and writhe as Koneko approached...only for the chest of the beast portion to open into a mouth.  With a shout of "Die!" it lunged, closing the jaws around the diminutive girl...only for her to force the jaws back open and punch the new jaw apart.

Satsuki rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "Seems she can take a hit as well as Gamagoori..." she murmured thoughtfully.

"He could hit harder than that with Scourge Regalia, though," Ryuko pointed out.  "And he's gotten better since."

"Still a good sparring partner," Satsuki observed.

Rias raised her eyebrows as she heard this summation of her Perrage as compared to Satsuki's.  If they were in any way accurate, then it was worth exploring to give everyone extra training.

Satsuki suddenly turned and let off a shout as she slammed the tip of her sword into the floor in front of her.  A shockwave of pure willpower ripped past Rias close enough for her to feel the force...and eradicated the severed arm that had launched itself at Rias from behind, reducing it to a bloody smear against the opposite wall.

Rias stared in shock, turning from Satsuki to Ryuko to the smear.  "T-thank you..." she managed to say finally, her senses showing her that despite the unleashed force, Satsuki's overall energy levels hadn't decreased it all.

"Never let your guard down on the field of battle," Satsuki stated calmly as Akeno began blasting the main body with demonic electricity.  She stared at the beast for a time, then turned to Rias.  "I would like to let Ryuko deliver the finishing blow, if we may."

Rias blinked in surprise, but nodded.  It would be nice to see what Ryuko could do.

Turning, Satsuki turned and tossed her sword to Ryuko, who caught it as she charged the beast.  It turned towards her...and she delivered what looked like a wide swing as she passed through it.  The tableau held for a moment...and then with a scream the beast exploded into threads of energy before dissipating, the most solid of the threads instead being drawn to Ryuko before being absorbed into the red streak in her hair as it glowed, the glow fading once the power was claimed.  Rias' eyes widened as the black mist of her own Destruction Energy leapt out in wisps from Ryuko, scouring the building of every trace of the beast's body and power as though consuming it before returning to her.

"W...wha...?" Rias asked in shock as Ryuko tossed the sword back.  She wasn't the only one left flabbergasted.

"When the conflict was purely Life Fiber based, Ryuko could absorb the Life Fiber energy of those she defeated," Satsuki explained calmly.  "It appears this carries over into fights with the demonic now that she's part Devil."  She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "Though none of the prior defeats were lethal..."

"No clothes, sis," Ryuko pointed out.  "Pretty sure if I struck the way I did against Goku Uniforms on Devils, it'd leech the power out that way without killing them."

"Best to test it on someone else's Evil Piece, though," Satsuki allowed calmly.  "Perhaps one belonging to the asshole Uzu deduced?"

Ryuko grinned widely.  "That ought to be fun..." she purred excitedly.  "Though...maybe I should retrieve those blades if fights like that will happen."

Rias decided mentally that unless it came up, she _did not want to know_.


	16. Chapter 16

As Ryuko headed out for her next contract summoning - another double-booking for Koneko that she was filling in for - she let what she'd seen and deduced about the 'Evil Piece' abilities from the fight turn over in her mind.  Rias was the King, obviously, which made her the leader, and probably the linchpin of the powers.  If something happened to her or her connection to her Peerage was somehow cut off, the Evil Pieces would probably stop working...which would explain how Devils turned into Stray Demons.  Without their Masters to sustain their Devil forms, they had to find other sources of power until they were either strong enough to stabilize or focused enough to control the energy themselves.  At least, that was what Satsuki had concluded, and it sounded right.  They hadn't confirmed it with Rias yet, as that wouldn't be tactically sound in case of conflict between Satsuki and Rias that _wasn't_ directly related to their 'Peerage'.

Rooks were the 'immovable objects' of the team, being able to both take and deal immense physical damage.  Knights were the DPS specialists, focused entirely on speed strikes.  Bishops had been mentioned but not demonstrated, and given the 'class setups' so far, process of elimination suggested they were primarily casters of one sort or another.  Akeno had been referred to as the Queen, and given she always stayed near Rias and used complex magics, Ryuko assumed that Queens were a balance point, high power but not specialized.

And that left Ryuko, a Pawn.  She knew Chess, and knew exactly what Pawns were related to other pieces.  They simply marched forward like soldiers until they reached the other side of the board, at which point they could become any other piece except a King.  Given the Pieces inside her had Mutated to have aspects of all the other Pieces in shape, she presumed that if certain conditions were met in battle, she would be able to focus her power in the manner of one of those four Classes.

Reaching her destination, she set aside her thoughts before looking for the best entrance...and found only the door.  Sighing, she settled down, folded her wings, and rang the bell.  She then noticed that no one was answering.  Sighing, she leaned against the doorframe crossing her arms, only for the door to swing open from the impact, the lights out inside.

Her guard instantly went up.  She'd been summoned here, and now no sign of anyone inside?  She spread her awareness into her Fibers...and found two life signs in the building, no sign of Life Fiber energy, and...something that made her Fibers feel ill.  Her body tensed as she remembered the sensation when she'd laid eyes on the Church.

_Exorcist,_ she thought silently to herself as she stepped inside, feeling a much more intense surge of the ill feeling.  She would be on guard.  She was not about to give whoever was in here the opportunity to give her a repeat of her experience with Raynare.  Seeing light coming from a room off the main hall, she braced herself as she made her way forward.  She checked herself inside to be certain she was ready for anything.

_I'm with you, partner!_ Ddraig said from her right hand, a faint pulse of green light on the back of her hand letting her see the focus.

Nodding, she made her way to the doorway as quietly as she could manage.  As she stepped into the room, her nose twitched as she detected large amounts of spilled blood and something else that was even worse.  She was used to blood from all her time wearing Senketsu, even her own, but that worst scent...

She staggered back as her eyes followed the practical lake of blood on the floor to the pile of corpses in the middle of the room, piled up as though meant to be shown off, their bellies cut open and the viscera - the scent she couldn't identify - scattered around like decorations.  She stepped back away from the site, trying to swallow her bile-

Without thinking, she dove to the side, almost too late.  The glowing blade cut a shallow gash on the back of her arm rather than slicing through her shoulder.  Feeling the sting of holy power, she rolled away...only to feel something hard, metal, and holy shoot through her legs at several points accompanied by loud retorts, letting her realize she'd just been shot.

"Well well..." a rather creepy sounding male voice purred as she rolled to her feet, bracing herself against the couch from the pain in her legs, the wounds not yet healing because her Fibers were still fighting the lingering holy essence.  "The boss lady said the one in black wasn't to be toyed with...but you are definitely going to be fun..."

As Ryuko raised her eyes, she took in the figure.  The silver haired man might have been considered handsome, if his eyes weren't shrunk to insane pinpricks and his mouth drawn in a mad grin, his tongue sticking out tauntingly.  He was dressed in a mockery of a priest's robes, hanging open to reveal the zip up shirt and black pants beneath as the silver cross glinted in the candle light.  Feeling the intensity of the sacred energy surrounding him - obviously enhanced by the strength of his convictions - she bit back a curse.  "Should have expected exorcists to be zealots," she growled as she pushed herself up.

"Oh, not all of them," he purred back as he leaned forward.  "I'm a special case.  My name is Freed Zelzan-"

"Don't care, kicking your ass."

Freed laughed madly.  "Oh do please try, devil shit!  I'm eager to see-oops!"  He swayed back as Ryuko lunged in, just barely managing to avoid her assault as he opened fire.  "Someone's eager to taste my sacred shaft!"  As Ryuko skidded to a halt with holes smoking in her arms, he licked the barrel of his gun suggestively.

Ryuko spat derisively as she flexed her limbs.  "Sorry, but unlike old computers, I don't accept 3 1/2 inch floppies!"

Freed laughed wickedly.  "Whether devil shits like you or the no longer human shits that summon you, I so love the sound of your wails of despair, however they're couched!"  Leveling his gun, he fired twice more.

Ryuko leapt over the the shots.  "You mi-"  Her instincts flared, and she rolled in the air before letting out a scream of pain.  The two blessed silver knives - launched by Freed's shots - that had been aimed at her head and heart instead embedded themselves in her knees.

"You didn't really think a Soldier of God would play fair with a devil shit like you?" Freed taunted as Ryuko struggled to stand, the continuous burning of the daggers much harder to fight through than the holes left by the bullets.  He raised his sword.  "I think it's time to end this farce-"

A shocked scream drew attention to behind Freed, closer to the door.  Ryuko's mind jerked to a halt as she - somehow - recognized Asia's voice.

"Oh...Asia-chan?" Freed asked in a purring voice as Asia stared in shocked horror at the grotesque sight of the bodies.  "Are you done setting up the magical barrier?"

"Th...this is...?" Asia whispered, tears in her voice.

"Oh, that's right, you're a beginner!" Freed laughed as he turned away from Ryuko.  "This is our job.  We kill off the worthless people enchanted by demons."

"N-no way..." Asia stammered as she turned towards them...only to catch sight of Ryuko.  "Ryuko-san?"

Ryuko hissed through her teeth as she pushed herself up on the coffee table, unable to get words out.

"What?" Freed asked in surprise.  "You two know each other?"

Growling, Ryuko spread her wings to get the lift to help her stay upright.  Asia gasped at the sight, but taking the weight off her legs let Ryuko speak.  "It doesn't matter where power comes from..." she managed to growl out.  "It's what you choose to do with it..."  As she accidentally bumped one of the daggers against the table, she fell again, clutching at her leg as her wings gripped the table for extra balance.

Freed whispered something to Asia, but Ryuko wasn't able to make out more than 'Fallen Angels' towards the end.  As her eyes narrowed, Freed stepped forward.  "Well, it's time to get this done!" he declared eagerly, putting his glowing blade to Ryuko's throat.

She tensed up...and felt her Fibers writhing inside her.  To her surprise, much like when her heart had shifted out of the way of the light spear back when she was human, now it was her brain shifting out of her skull so she could live even if her head was cut off.  _I did not know I could do that,_ she thought silently to herself.

_Here's hoping it isn't useful too often,_ Ddraig added silently, waiting to be called on at the most opportune time.

"Are you ready?" Freed demanded coldly.

Ryuko smirked.  "No regrets or doubts...which is more than you'll be able to say when it's your time."

Freed laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.  "Then here it comes!" he declared as he drew it back, aiming to cut off her head.

Ryuko considered several exotic alternatives to getting her head cut off, but couldn't think of one that wouldn't terrify Asia.  She decided her best bet would be to shift some Fibers around to catch her head _just after_ the sword passed through her neck so she could make it look like the sword had failed to behead her.  Then she could trigger Ddraig, and hope whatever he did would shift the balance of the match-

Asia suddenly threw herself between Ryuko and Freed, catching them both off guard as she stared defiantly at the exorcist.

Freed's gaze flattened.  "Oy, are you serious?" he growled irritably.

Asia flinched a bit, then steeled herself.  "Father Freed, I will not let you slay this one!"

Ryuko's eyes nearly popped out of her head.  She made a quick check of her Fibers to ensure that was strictly metaphor, but she could tell Freed was nearly as shocked by what had been said.  "Do you know what you're saying?" he demanded angrily.

"Ryuko-san may be a Devil, but she is a good person!" Asia insisted firmly.  "God will not forgive the events of this night-"

"Don't give me that crap!" Freed snapped out angrily, swinging his light blade at her.

To Ryuko's - and likely Freed's - surprise, Asia did not flinch as the blade came within millimeters of cutting her open, instead managing to slash her habit open, leaving her only covered by her pure white bra and panties...only for her bra to pop open as the last thread parted.  Asia quickly moved her outstretched arms to cover her breasts, but remained defiant.

Freed's eyes narrowed, filled with wrath.  "Have you lost your mind, you fucking bitch?" he snarled as he stomped over to her, seizing her by one wrist and her face as she cried in pain and fear.  "The Fallen Angel woman said I wasn't to hurt you, but I think you need to be punished."  With a sudden move, he slammed her against the wall, pinning her arms over her head by his light blade through her sleeves.

"Asia!" Ryuko gasped out as she struggled to get upright...only for the world to slow as she saw the Sister flinching away as Freed's hand roughly seized her exposed breast.

_...the touch of Ragyo and Nui on her skin..._

_...the feeling of their 'love' in her deepest parts..._

_...the threads piercing her body that bound Junketsu to her..._

_...Mako..._ Ryuko felt her blood boiling as a scream of rage and pain erupted from her.

* * *

Ddraig flinched back as he felt the heat in Ryuko's blood as her Fibers twisted upon themselves.  He attempted to manifest, only to feel him sealed within as the coffee table was batted aside, flying past Freed's head before spattering against the wall as sludge, the energy within it leeched away by Ryuko's touch.  She stood upright, the carpet beneath her feet withering as her skin darkened.  The silver knives in her legs corroded and crumbled, falling away as dust.

"Oh ho!" Freed purred as he turned away from Asia.  "So the Devil shows its true face!"  Pulling his sword from the wall, he thrust out at Ryuko.

Ryuko's arm parted around the light blade as her arm thrust forward, not touching it until the two halves of her hand came together to crush the hilt and Freed's hand.  Freed let out a cry of pain and pulled back...only to stare as his hand was left in Ryuko's grip as it dissolved into a pile of black sludge.  Ryuko's face twisted and distorted as her jaw stretched far too wide, revealing far too many teeth.

Ryuko stalked forward.  Freed attempted to shoot her, but the bullets fell short, the motive force within them leeched away before they could impact.  Ryuko's left hand expanded to immense size and batted Freed into a wall.  He screamed in agony as the impact crushed several bones, leaving him barely able to move.  She stomped forward and raised her fist to deliver a final blow-

"R-ryuko-san..." Asia whimpered.

Ryuko's head rotated on her shoulders, her blank white eyes staring at Asia.  Ddraig held his metaphorical breath.

Fibers lashed out from Ryuko's body, knitting Asia's garments back together.  As they finished, they gently stroked her cheek, flicking away tears without doing any harm.

Ryuko's head turned back towards Freed...and switched to lifting her right arm.  Her hand narrowed to a point, and she drove it into Freed's crotch.  Even as she did so and Freed wailed in pain, her transformation began to reverse itself as she tumbled over.

"Ryuko-san!" Asia cried out as she struggled to get to her feet.

Ddraig thought to say something, but sensed someone approaching.

* * *

Asia stared in shock as the window shattered and a man dressed in white wearing a green eye mask and carrying a wooden sword dove in, scooping up Ryuko as she shrank incompletely in on herself, the transformation remaining but lacking motive force.  He glanced from Ryuko to Freed to Asia.  "...you're not one of Rias's...or one of Satsuki-sama's..." he commented thoughtfully.

"I...I'm a friend of Ryuko's..." Asia managed to say.

"Ah."  The man was silent for a time, then lifted his head.  "More incoming, and I can only carry one fast enough-"

"Get Ryuko to safety," Asia insisted.  "I...I'll be okay."

The man raised an eyebrow, then smirked.  "Heh, you just might be tough enough to keep up with her."  With that, he seemed to blur and vanish.

Asia managed to get to her feet as the Fallen Angels arrived to collect them.  As Lady Raynare arrived, she took in the scene before turning to Asia for an explanation.

Asia managed to gather her wits...and her nerve.  If she needed to be tough to keep up with Ryuko and be her friend, then she would start now.  She pointed at Freed's crotch.  "I'm not healing that one," she stated firmly. 


	17. Chapter 17

Ryuko tried to groan as her eyes slowly fluttered open, but she didn't have the strength of voice.  Feeling a familiar softness pressed against her entire body, she managed - barely - to get a word out.  "M...Mak-ko...cha..."

"Don't speak, Ryuko-chan," Mako whispered urgently.  "You're too weak."

"W...why...?" Ryuko tried to demand, though it only came out as a plea.  Her eyes wouldn't focus.

"Because you continue to be an overconfident fool," Satsuki stated harshly.

Ryuko's eyes managed to focus.  She was floating in...something...in Iori's lab, and Mako was pressed up against her naked.  Satsuki and Rias were both standing over her, Rias looking worried and Satsuki looking pissed.  The gaze she had locked on Ryuko looked like she'd cut her to pieces herself if Ryuko said a wrong word...which Ryuko recognized as how she controlled just how worried about her she was.  She tried to say something, but no words came out.

"It's your Life Fiber nature," Iori spoke up from nearby.  "Now that it can absorb magic, it attempts to absorb any magic you come in contact with to strengthen you and continue feeding into the D-Fibers of your outfit...though I'm still struggling to determine _why_ your inner energy is making that such a priority.  And you keep coming in contact with Light Magic, which is presently toxic to you.  As a result, it takes _longer_ for that energy to cycle out of your body than it does for any other Devil of whatever power."

"But...kept figh..." Ryuko managed to get out.

"Because you're just that powerful," Rias explained, the worry palpable in her voice.  "It takes that much more to be genuinely debilitating...and your body doesn't actually notice injuries or weakness until it reaches that level.  Because of this, you burn through your energy reserves much faster."

"By my estimates, you've been functioning at...80% normal power ever since your initial transformation, and each exposure to Light Magic dropped your output by about 10%," Iori explained calmly.  "With all the injuries you received, you were at about 5% when you transformed."

"Trans...formed?" Ryuko asked, finding her voice coming back.

Satsuki's eyes remained hard.  "What do you remember of what happened at that house?"

Ryuko blinked as she turned her mind back.  "...clients were dead...sick freak zealot exorcist got the drop on me...fought dirty...Asia...Asia was there..."

"Asia?" Mako asked curiously.  "Who's that?"

"Cute stray...nun..." Ryuko managed to say.  "Has Twilight Healing..."

Rias gasped in surprise.  "That's a potent Sacred Gear.  If she's working with the Fallen Angels-"

"Not with..." Ryuko interrupted.  "They've got her..."

"They won't let her go, then," Rias observed worriedly.

"She wouldn't...let the guy cut my head off..." Ryuko managed to say.  "...couldn't think how to explain my brain had already moved..."

"It what?" Satsuki demanded, being the first to speak as everyone turned to stare at her.

"So that's what this is!" Iori spoke in amazement.  "It seems all your internal organs...can now shift at will to avoid serious injury...or even spread their functions throughout your body at need."

"That's...amazing..." Rias murmured in awe.

"So what happened then?" Satsuki pressed.

Ryuko turned her mind back...and felt her anger building.  "Freed...he...Asia..."  Her fists clenched as her blood began to heat, her arm twisting-

"Enough!" Satsuki barked out, snapping Ryuko out of her thoughts.  She sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.  "I suppose it was too much to hope for that the scars we were left with wouldn't influence your magical nature now..."

Rias sighed as she nodded, recognizing what had happened.  "Devil magic responds very strongly to emotions.  That's why discipline and control is so important...and why those who cast it aside end up so altered when they become Stray Devils.  I'm...surprised you were able to reverse Ryuko's transformation completely..."

"It wasn't the first time she transformed like that," Satsuki explained calmly.  "Though it wasn't alone last time..."

"How did you reverse it then?" Rias asked curiously.  "It could be important to know-"

"Mako slapped some sense into her," Satsuki explained with a slight smirk.

Rias blinked.  "Well, was there a specific tech-...oh, you meant literally..."

"With how fragile she was this time, we thought a gentler approach was needed," Iori explained.  "Thus the capsule of liquid magic they're soaking in."

"But...Mako..." Ryuko managed to say, worried what that would do to Mako when she didn't have magic and _did_ have Life Fiber energy.

"Yes?" Mako asked as she perked up, lifting her head to look Ryuko in the eyes.

Ryuko blinked, seeing.... _D-Fiber_ energy throughout Mako's body.  "Wha...?"

_You didn't think I'd let her kill herself to help you, did you partner?_ Ddraig whispered in her mind.

Ryuko managed a smile...only for it to leave her face as realization hit her.  "Asia!" she barked out as she tried to sit up.  "I need to save Asia-"  An odd plop drew her attention.  Turning, she saw that her left pinky finger had fallen off her hand - barely held on by a thread - when she lifted it out of the liquid magic.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Satsuki snapped out.  "Uzu and Houka are already scouring the city for signs of the girl to ensure her safety.  Right now you're barely holding your own body together, and according to Iori's scans you're at less than 2% normal energy levels!  That's barely enough to keep your body going, and that transformation you underwent strained your regenerative properties!"  Stepping forward, she pushed Ryuko back into the liquid.  "So stay there and learn to not be so reckless...or if that's impossible for that lump of knots you call a brain, at least how to _dodge!_ "

Ryuko wanted to speak up and complain...but she could already feel herself slipping back into slumber as the liquid magic enveloped her once more.  She tried to fight-

_Sleep now, partner,_ Ddraig instructed firmly in her mind.  _You can't do any more than that until you're strong enough to hold body and soul together.  Sleep...sleep...slee..._


	18. Chapter 18

Ryuko winced as she walked, leaning on Mako as she helped her through the streets of the city.  While she'd recovered enough energy that she was no longer in danger of literally falling apart, she could no longer absorb energy directly from liquid magic as she had been.  Even so, she was only at about 15% energy reserves at most, and her body was still incredibly weak.  Even so, she refused to sit still like an invalid...even if she needed help just to walk.  "Thanks for helping me, Mako-chan," she said softly.

"I'm always here for you to lean on, Ryuko-chan!" Mako responded happily with a wide smile.  "You know that!"

Ryuko chuckled softly.  "Yeah, I just never expected it to be _literal_..."  She looked away, and found her eyes drawn in the direction of the distant church...that Mako was under strict instructions from Satsuki _and_ Rias not to take Ryuko anywhere near.

Fingers pulled on her ear, and she found it actually hurt.  "You're not running off on a half-baked rescue when you're this weak, Ryuko-chan!" Mako scolded, an irritated scowl on her face.

"OwowowOW!" Ryuko gasped out with a wince.  "Okay, okay!  No half-baked rescue attempts!"  As Mako released her ear, she reached up to rub it.  "Any chance you'll help me fully bake one?"

"...Ry-u-ko-chan..." Mako growled dangerously.

Ryuko winced back from Mako's angry tone, then sighed sadly as they kept walking.  "I can't help it, Mako-chan.  I'm just...really worried about her.  She's so helpless...I feel like I need to save her..."  Feeling the start of coldness around Mako, she turned to face her girlfriend.  "And no, not the way I would if you were in danger," she assured her.  "That's different...even if I was drawn to her for the same reasons I was originally drawn to you."

"The same reasons?" Mako asked in surprise.

"A clumsy, helpless stray who needs me to take care of her," Ryuko teased playfully, managing to give Mako a playful noogie.  "Even if in the long run you took more care of me."

"Heh heh," Mako giggled happily as she leaned in and nuzzled Ryuko.  "But...you aren't going to end up feeling the same way about her, are you?"

"Nah," Ryuko replied.  "You're more like a playful kitty now, and Asia's more of a puppy."

"...so we should take up the carpet?" Mako asked in confusion.

"Not like that!" Ryuko replied with a laugh.

"Ryuko-chan?" a quiet voice asked in surprise.

Both girls spun towards the voice, and Ryuko was stunned to see Asia standing there, looking none the worse for wear as she stared at them in surprise.  "...Asia..." she offered in relief.  "You're-"

"So cute!" Mako squealed out as she dashed over, Ryuko barely grabbing hold of nearby playground equipment to steady herself.  Mako, for her part, briefly glomped onto Asia before spinning her around, followed by playfully squishing her cheeks.  "Ryuko-chan!  Can we keep her?"

"Ueh?" Asia asked in surprise, her eyes wide.

Ryuko struggled not to laugh.  That was more or less how she expected someone to react to a full blown Mako assault when unprepared.  "She's a person, not a pet!" she managed to say, though the chiding was lost in her amusement.

"But I thought you said she was a puppy?" Mako asked in confusion as she continued to squish Asia's cheeks.

"It was a metaphor."

"...is that like a croquet?"

"...well, it is stuffed full of random things without meaning to create something worthwhile, so I guess?"

"Oh, okay!" Mako declared happily as she turned to hug Asia again...only to dash back to hold Ryuko up instead.

"Umm..." Asia began awkwardly as she pushed her index fingers together.  "I'm not very...e-experienced, but I wouldn't mind if you kept me, Ryuko-san..."

Ryuko found herself performing a spit take despite the fact she wasn't drinking anything, though that moment truly deserved one.  "I don't think Mako-chan meant it like that-" she started to say.

"I can try and be flexible if you want me to, Ryuko-chan!" Mako interrupted happily.

Off in the distance, Ryuko heard the unmistakable sound of Gamagoori spit-taking more than a mile away.  "W-what?" Ryuko managed to get out.  "Where was this with how you reacted to Rias?"

"She wasn't a stray, or this cute!" Mako replied happily.  "So can we keep her?"

"W-will you keep me?" Asia asked, her stammer showing just how nervous she was about offering this, while also just how much she apparently _needed_ it.

Ryuko struggled not to laugh or to find something reasonable to say, but both Mako and Asia were now giving her cute pleading puppy-dog eyes.  She was _not_ up to resisting that.  Rolling her eyes, she chuckled.  "Looks like you just got adopted, Asia-chan," she offered jokingly, lifting her arm.

Mako quickly pulled Asia in for the three-way embrace so Ryuko didn't have to work so hard to reach.


	19. Chapter 19

Ryuko leaned back in the bench as Asia leaned over her, green light surrounding her hands as she used her Twilight Healing to purge the last of the Light Magic from Ryuko's systems and repair the damage.  It didn't seem to have any effect on her overall energy levels, but it no longer felt like she was fighting her own body to move wherever Asia had done her work.  "Hoo..." she let out as Asia finished.  "And once again, never knew being without pain felt so good.  You're a lifesaver, Asia."

Asia's cheeks pinked slightly at the praise.  "You got hurt trying to help me," she offered modestly.  "It's the least I can do to fix the damage as best as I can."  The glow faded as she finished.  "Though...I can't seem to do any more, despite you still feeling so weak-"

"Of course she's weak!" Mako declared easily.  "She hasn't been able to keep much down with all that damage!  She needs food!"  Mako's stomach suddenly let out a loud growl, causing her to rub the back of her head with a sheepish giggle.

Before Ryuko could respond, a small gurgle emitted from Asia's abdomen, and she blushed brightly.  Chuckling, Ryuko stood up.  "Guess we're heading to a restaurant then.  Let's see-"

"That way!" Mako declared eagerly, pointing to a nearby restaurant boasting American 'Cuisine'.  "Satsuki-san owns stock in it, so we can get a discount I think!"

Ryuko shrugged.  "Good enough reasoning for me, and I don't have to walk far."  She started to take a step, only to feel her legs shake beneath her.  Only the adrenaline of fighting the pain had been keeping her upright.  Before she could fall, however, Mako and Asia had slipped under her arms, stabilizing her without it looking like she was leaning on them.  "Fitting in already, Asia-chan?" she asked teasingly, making the blonde girl blush.

The three of them made their way into the restaurant, taking a large booth with Asia in the middle where she felt safer.  As they received their menus, Ryuko looked them over.  Aside from it being served by servers, it seemed more like American fast food than anything else.  Still, it looked like it would be filling, and she'd never gone wrong with chicken.  The prices, though...

"There's...there's so many choices..." Asia murmured awkwardly as she looked over the menu, plainly dazed at the nearly 50 meal options.

"Number nine looks good," Mako said thoughtfully as she looked through.  "So does 45, though I think I'd need two...six and seven's not bad..."

Ryuko glanced down through the menu...and then blinked at a highlighted box that had a clock and yen signs surrounding it.  "The...Big Smokey challenge?" she murmured as she looked at it.

"Oh, that's our special challenge," the waitress offered as she came up.  "Several meal orders together including fillet burgers, chicken wings, the chicken burger, and a bucket of chicken, and plenty of fries and drink.  The whole thing's a bit expensive, but if you're able to finish it in under half an hour, it's free."

Ryuko's eyes lit up as she turned to Mako.  "We are trying to budget..." she purred eagerly.

"One Big Smoke order each for Ryuko and I!" Mako declared excitedly, much to the waitress's surprise.  Ryuko grinned eagerly in response.

Asia's eyes slowly widened in shock.

* * *

It wasn't long before the food was brought out.  Asia's arrived on a single tray, one unwrapped sandwich, a bag of fries, and a drink.  The platter that carried each of the others' meals was much larger, and much more loaded down.

In among the numerous bags of fries and the massive drink cup that could easily hold ten of her own drink, she counted two wrapped sandwiches like her own - one labeled with a 9, the other with 9L - a box of chicken wings labeled 6, two wrapped burgers labeled 45 and 45C, and a huge bucket of chicken labeled 7.  The same was duplicated on Mako's tray as Asia glanced over.  "How are you...going to eat all that?" she asked in awe.

Ryuko simply grinned as Mako braced herself.  "Alright!" the waitress declared as two other staff stood near with stopwatches.  "Ready...go!"  The stopwatches were started.

Asia's eyes widened as the pair dug in.  Mako began by ripping the wrapping off two of the sandwiches and beginning to eat, one in each hand and alternating bites, occasionally ducking down to grab fries with her mouth or to drink from the straw.  While she was making good headway...

...it was nothing compared to Ryuko.  She'd simply grabbed the box of wings, opened her mouth wide, and dumped them in bones and all.  The staff members winced at the crunch of bone as Ryuko's teeth crushed the mere calcium constructs within the meat, and then her hand swept over the wrapped sandwiches.  The wrapping paper tore of its own accord as she began tossing them into her mouth whole, devouring her order at blinding speed.  By the time Mako had finished her first sandwich, Ryuko had finished all of hers, and picked up the bucket of chicken.  She tossed the pieces into the air one at a time, chomping down on them the same way she had on the wings until the bucket was empty.  Tossing it aside - where it landed perfectly in the trash can stuffed with the wrapping from her sandwiches - she then proceeded to shovel the fries into her mouth, getting all the sauce on them in the process.  With that finished, she picked up the massive drink cup and proceeded to pour its contents into her mouth to a chorus of "Chug!  Chug!  Chug!" chanted by those who had been caught up in the spectacle.  Leaping from the table, she slam dunked the empty cup into the trash can as she landed on the table next to it.  "Time!" she called eagerly.

The staff member who'd been tracking her progress stared at his stopwatch in disbelief.  "...two minutes, thirty seconds..." he murmured in awe.

"Yur fwowin bun, Fiuko-shan!" Mako observed through a mouthful of food.

Unsure what else to do, Asia picked up her own sandwich and took a bite, much smaller than what the others took from theirs.  She was rather surprised to find it delicious.

* * *

As the trio stepped out of the restaurant - Mako having also successfully completed her eating challenge, though in 25 minutes compared to Ryuko's less than 3 - Ryuko turned to Asia.  "So, what were you doing out here, anyway?" she asked curiously

"Looking for you, Ryuko-san," she offered nervously.

"Oh?" Ryuko asked in surprise.  "And the Fallen Angels let you?"

"I...told them I needed some air," Asia offered in embarrassment.  "And...just kept walking..."

"Good for you!" Mako crowed happily as she leapt onto Asia's back exuberantly.  "Ditch class and have fun!"

"Ueh?"  Asia turned to Ryuko in confusion.

Ryuko just shrugged.  "Mako lives in her own world.  It's fun to visit, though-oh, an arcade!"

"Arcade!" Mako cried excitedly as the pair began to drag Asia towards the building with all the flashing lights and colors.

Asia allowed herself to be dragged along, unsure what was going to happen next...but was beginning to realize that whatever it was, it was going to be fun.


	20. Chapter 20

After several hours, Ryuko, Mako, and Asia staggered out of the arcade together.  While they hadn't actually won anything, Mako had plainly demonstrated that winning was secondary compared to having fun, and fun they had.  Though unsteady on her feet, Asia was still laughing at the chaos that had erupted on the dance machine when the three of them had decided to share the two dance pads.  She smiled as Ryuko steadied her before they sauntered along together, talking back and forth about what had happened in the arcade...and anything else that happened to come to mind.  While Asia didn't say as much as the other two, she did find herself talking more than she would have normally, sucked into the exuberance the other two exuded by their very existence.

As they approached a wrecked courtyard that looked like it was under repairs, Asia found herself saying, "This is the most fun I've had in my entire life."

"Then we'll just have to top it tomorrow!" Mako declared happily as she impulsively glomped onto Asia again.

_She's going to feel those bruised ribs tomorrow,_ Ryuko thought to herself as she gently disentangled the pair.  Seeing Asia's hands give off a brief green glow as she straightened her habit, she smirked.  _Clever!  Fixing herself up without distressing Mako.  She's got what it takes to keep up with us after all.  Can't wait to introduce her to Satsuki so she can build some backbone, though._

_Isn't this place familiar, partner?_ Ddraig spoke up in her mind.

Blinking, Ryuko turned back to the courtyard, not sure what he meant...until she saw the broken pipes in among the scattered shattered marble.  "Huh, I've been here before," she murmured in surprise.

"Oh?" Mako asked curiously.

"Yeah," Ryuko confirmed.  "This is where I fought Raynare because of that challenge letter."  She pointed to the rubble.  "I shattered that fountain because I was sandbagging and missed her."  Turning, she saw grooves dug into the concrete where it had melted, and rubble that seemed to have ripped itself from the ground.  "And that's where Rias and Akeno turned me into a Devil to deal with the Light Spears Raynare left stuck in me."

"Raynare...did that?" Asia asked in surprise.

Ryuko turned to Asia in surprise.  "You...know Raynare?" she asked, ignoring the blonde in Gothic Lolita fashion she noticed in the distance.

Asia nodded nervously.  "She's the Fallen Angel who...is directly in charge of Father Freed and...me..."

"Well if she wants you, she'll have to go through us!" Mako insisted firmly.  "And there's no way she's going to beat Ryuko-chan a second time!"

"Let's see about that, shall we?" a familiar dark voice echoed from above them.

Ryuko spun as she recognized that voice, glaring up at the scantily clad black-winged figure floating over the wrecked fountain.  "Raynare!" she snarled angrily.  "I was hoping to cross you off my to do list!"

"I won't be letting you run off with Asia, Ryuko," Raynare growled as she flowed backwards.  "She's too valuable."

"And she chose us!" Ryuko roared as she lunged forward, energy gathering in both hands.

_WATCH OUT!_

Ryuko's eyes widened.  The warning came just too late as she saw a magic circle filled with Light magic taking shape under her foot as it came down.  Thinking quickly, she tried something crazy...and kicked off to the side while willing the Fibers in her leg to unravel.

The pillar of Light shot up, just barely missing the threads as they pulled back into Ryuko's knee, leaving what looked like a stump as she dove to the side.

"The great thing about being scared off before I could clean up here," Raynare purred happily.  "The residual energy from the battle is _perfect_ for hiding my traps!"  She let off a wicked laugh, her hand brought to her cheek.  "Ohohohoho!"

"That laugh really doesn't work for you!" Mako called out helpfully.  "Your boobs don't jiggle enough for it.  But you've got the hair right!"

Raynare spun to face Mako.  "What do you mean, my breasts don't jiggle enough?!" she snapped out angrily, hurling a Light Spear Mako's way in retaliation...only to stare as it bounced off her forehead.

"Well you've got the outfit kinda right," Mako responded, not noticing the Light Spear as she ducked to the side, only to pop back out under a spotlight generated by the broken Light Spear dressed in cosplay as Naga the White Serpent, "but when you do the laugh, you _really_ gotta jiggle!  Watch!"  Pulling out two bags of jello, she stuffed them into the top before taking the pose.  "Ohohohoho!" she laughed, shaking her chest so the 'jello boobs' bounced up and down with her laugh.

Ryuko couldn't help but chuckle at Raynare's flabbergasted expression, and quickly took advantage of the distraction, she reformed her leg and lunged forward...only to be forced to roll to the side and unravel her left arm to keep from being hit by the Light Magic trap in the air.

_This is ridiculous!_ she snapped to herself as she flipped back out of the courtyard, reforming her arm just in time to duck out of the way of Raynare's thrown Light Spear.  _I'm stronger and faster than her, and got a great deal more power...but thanks to a few traps and an allergy, I'm on the threads!_

_I think you mean ropes,_ Ddraig pointed out.

_No, threads, cause I'm half-clothing-_   Ryuko froze in realization, only to unravel part of her stomach to avoid the next spear.  _I'm an idiot!_

_Well I wasn't excited about being your partner for your brains,_ Ddraig teased.

_Not what I mean!_ Ryuko pointed out.  _I used to be half-human, half-clothing.  Now I'm half-Devil, half-clothing..._

A snort of amazement came from her right hand as Ddraig caught her train of thought.  _So why are you still fighting like a human?!_

_Exactly!_ Ryuko replied as she focused on the way her Fibers and Magic shaped her body, down to the very cellular level.  As she got the whole picture, she memorized it, saved it deep in her memory...

...and discarded it.

* * *

Asia gasped in surprise as the next light trap seemed to unravel Ryuko completely.  "Ryuko-san!" she called out desperately.

Raynare grinned eagerly.  "And that's the last of-"

Her words were cut off as the swirl of Fibers and Magic came together and began to bounce around the courtyard, triggering the light traps and escaping them as it flowed and swirled through the field, making its way towards Raynare.  Desperately, the Fallen Angel hurled spear after spear at the mass, only for it to part around them and continue the assault.  Without warning they lashed out, shaping blades that pierced Raynare's wings.

She let out a scream of pain...but mixed in with it was a cry of, "Mittelt!"

As the fibers wrapped around Raynare and began to become more solid, bands of light magic suddenly appeared around Mako, binding her limbs together as the girl in gothic Lolita that Ryuko had noticed before held a silver dagger to Mako's throat.  "I suggest you let Raynare go, Ryuko-sempai," she purred wickedly as black feathered wings spread from her back.  "Unless you'd like to see your girlfriend's blood spattered across this courtyard.  I must admit, I find the idea...enticing."  She licked her lips eagerly.

"Ryuko-chan!" Mako called out desperately.

Ryuko's face formed in the mass of threads as she glared down at the new Angel.  "You..."

"Are you sure you aren't the submissive?" Mako continued.  "I don't think I like being the one tied up!"

A large sweatdrop took shape in Ryuko's threads.  "With how much it used to happen to you, I thought you'd be used to it."

"I am!" Mako replied.  "That's why I don't like it!"

Mittelt blinked in confusion as she stared back and forth between them, then turned to Asia.  "They do remember this is a hostage situation now, right?" she asked.

"It's fine," Asia replied with a somewhat flat-eyed gaze.  "You get used to it."

"Isn't it a standoff anyway?" Mako asked curiously.  "Ryuko's got a hostage, too."

"Raynare may be our leader, but the plans she's set up don't actually _require_ her," Mittelt explained with a shrug.  "Any Fallen Angel can do it."

"Ex _cuse_ me?" Raynare screamed out angrily.

"What?" Mittelt replied innocently.  "It's true."

"Then why do you want her released?" Mako asked curiously.

"To force Ryuko into a position where she can be disabled," the blonde Fallen Angel pointed out.  "Can't really do anything to her like this."

"Then what's to stop her from just killing both of you?" Mako demanded.

"Nothing," Mittelt allowed wickedly.  "...as long as she considers you acceptable collateral.  No matter how fast she is, if she comes after me, you'll be dead before she gets here."

The standoff remained for a few moments...and then Ryuko's body slowly reformed as she released Raynare.  "Just don't hurt her-"

Her words were interrupted as Raynare immolated her entire body with Light Spears, causing her to collapse forward in agony, unable to even scream.  "No one..." she hissed out angrily.  "...touches my wings...but Azazel-sama..."

"Do let's stay on the ball please, Raynare?" Mittelt pressed gently.

Nodding, Raynare turned to Asia.  "Asia, come with-"

"No!" Asia snapped out, throwing herself over Ryuko despairingly as she tried to focus her Sacred Gear.

"Come now or I kill her now," Raynare growled out angrily.  "Come willingly, and I won't deliver the final blow this moment and she'll have a chance to recover.  Resist at all and she dies instantly."

Asia hesitated...and then bowed her head.  "...alright..."

Smirking, Raynare took hold of Asia and warped the pair away.  Mittelt smirked as she saw she was left alone.  "Foolish girl," she purred softly.  "Raynare never said anything about what _I'd_ do once she was gone-"  She tensed up as she felt her throat lock, her body no longer obeying her.  "W...wha...?" she barely managed to force out as she felt a tightness _in her brain_.

A tiny figure lowered itself from her bonnet, landing on her hand as it raised itself.  Invisible threads - noticeable only by magic - led from the figure to Mittelt's body.  "You hurt Mako-chan," Ryuko's voice emanated from the figure as it resolved.  As the life-size Ryuko unraveled, the tiny figure took the form of Ryuko in miniature...made of threads wrapped around a green gemstone.  "You let her take Asia-chan.  So you're going to help me get her back."


	21. Chapter 21

Satsuki frowned as she stared at the readouts Iori had given her regarding Ryuko's life signs as sent by her uniform.  "Am I reading these correctly?" she asked flatly.  "It looks like it says she's alive and dead at the same time...and something else entirely."

"That's as best as I understand it," Iori explained worriedly.  "We have her vital signs normal, though much reduced.  We also have flatline, and then there are these other signs which..."  He hesitated.

Satsuki raised an eyebrow, a silent instruction to continue.

Iori frowned.  "The last time I detected vitals like this was...just after Nui beheaded herself."

Satsuki's eyebrows came together as she remembered that moment, when a human body unraveled completely to become a clothing-based superweapon for Ragyo.  It had nearly broken the world, if not for the last ditch actions of Ryuko and Senketsu.  The idea that Ryuko was giving off those vital signs was...worrisome, to say the least.

The ring on her private line - which only Ryuko and Nonon presently had the contact info for - distracted her.  She quickly answered it.  "Ryuko?" she asked hopefully, as she knew Nonon was present in the house.

"Ryuko...will be...at the church..." an unfamiliar voice said with no emotion behind it, sounding almost as if it was struggling to shape the words.  "Send...backup...muscle and...sword..."

"Who is this?" Satsuki demanded angrily.  "Identify yourself!"

"A dead...puppet...walking..." the voice replied, an odd gurgle mixed in that Satsuki recognized as someone trying to talk through coughed up blood.

"Is this devil business?" Satsuki pressed, her eyes narrowing as her sword hummed at her side in response to her gathering will without her touching it.

"Tell...Rias...dono...stuff...the rules..."  The phone went dead.

Despite the shock at what she understood from that phone call, Satsuki did not hesitate to give orders.  She could think about the implications _after_ the crisis was resolved...and then she could chew out Ryuko for being a reckless idiot _again_.  Maybe it would actually get through this time.  "Ira!  Uzu!  Nonon!  Ryuko is making an assault on enemy fortifications at the church in town.  Be there to back her up immediately!  Be aware her form may be unstable!"

"Yes, Satsuki-sama!" they all responded immediately as they leapt out the nearest exit, ready to banter on the way.

Pulling out an occult device, Satsuki spun it to open immediate communication.  "Rias, it's Satsuki.  I don't know why, but Ryuko just declared war on whoever's using the local Church as their home base, and she's not holding anything back.  I suggest you send your Rook and Knight to keep her in check, and if possible make a personal appearance with your Queen to enact damage control."

"Seriously?" Rias complained from the other end.

"It's only a day or two early from my own projections," Satsuki pointed out calmly.

A resigned sigh was her only response.

* * *

 

Mittelt's body walked up to the church in a grotesque parody of normal movement, the tiny Ryuko manipulating her movements through threads leading into her skull.  As they came to a halt, Ryuko stared at the Church.  "Don't think I can fight like this..." she murmured under her breath as she scouted the area.

_Then you need to reconstruct your body,_ Ddraig told her logically.

"Out of what?" she hissed back.  "I sacrificed a large part of my mass to make that fake defeat believable."

_We have a nice source right here,_ Ddraig observed urgently.

"What do you-"  Ryuko stopped as she realized what he meant, and felt the revulsion at the idea.  "I don't think that would work..."

Ddraig sighed in her mind.  _You and I both know you're only saying that because it reminds you too much of how your mother did things with that Nui girl and all of that, so let's address the 'logical' complaints quickly, shall we?_ _You're going to kill her anyway, so it's not like it changes anything there._

"I don't think I can eat light-"

_Fallen Angels use Light, but the act of Falling causes them to lose their Light nature.  Eating her would just give you a power boost, she doesn't even have an elemental nature to add for you to deal with._

Ryuko was silent for a time.  "...how does this make me different?"

_Do you think they would hesitate?_

Ryuko was silent for a time.

_Do you think she would have hesitated to kill Mako after finishing you off?_ Ddraig suggested bluntly, reaching through Ryuko's Fibers to access Mittelt's mind.  He was unsurprised to discover - or share with Ryuko - that her plan before Ryuko had nerve-stitched her had been to finish off Ryuko...and then take her time killing Mako because it would be _fun_ -

Mittelt's body jerked violently as her skin split, blood seeming to fountain from every inch of her body before Fibers consumed it all, drawing it all in as it reshaped itself into Ryuko's human form, complete with her uniform.  Lowering her right hand from her head, she spat a black feather out of her mouth as she glared at the green jewel in the center of the red plate that was bound to the back of her hand.  "That was _not_ pleasant," she growled out angrily.

"No, but it was rather metal," Uzu commented from behind her as he, Nonon, and Ira approached.

"Well, that's Sis's backup," Ryuko replied as she worked her joints, making certain they were all working properly.

"And here's Rias-sama's," Yuuto said as he and Koneko stepped out of the nearby shadows.  "Though she's not very happy about your impetuous behavior."

"She'll get used to it," Ryuko answered readily.

"You should still take it easy," Nonon pointed out as she held up one of Houka's scanners.  "Looks like you're only at 10% power-"

" _ **Boost!**_ "  The green gem flared to life.

Nonon stared at the readout.  "...20%-"

" _ **Boost!**_ "

"...40%...and above the power level of everything in the church," Nonon concluded.

Uzu smirked widely as he shifted his wooden sword.  "Let's go say hello, shall we?"


	22. Chapter 22

As Ryuko and the others braced themselves, Koneko walked calmly towards the doors of the church...only to be stopped by Ira's massive hand, which was larger than her entire body.  "And where do you think you're going?" he asked firmly.

Koneko looked up at him blandly.  "They already know we're here," she explained in her normal monotone.

"In which case, they will have prepared counterattacks for Devils," Ira explained simply.  "Likely Light based.  So whoever opens the doors should not have a vulnerability to it."

"And your human skin can handle a Light spear?" Koneko asked calmly with a raised eyebrow.

"It has withstood hardened steel," Ira responded as he stepped forward, lining up with the doors.  "Mere Light will not pierce it...in the name of Lady Satsuki!"  With that roar, he walked forward, the wood of the door and stone of the frame crumbling before him like paper.

Several shots rang out, only for the golden bullets to bounce off Gamagoori's skin like water droplets, with as little effect.  "Oho!  You're a tough one!" Freed called out eagerly.  "But surely the light burns you Devil shits whether it pierces or not-"

Freed's words were interrupted as Uzu appeared in front of him as though from nowhere on his perch in the rafters, his wooden sword glowing with sacred faith in Satsuki.  "You talk too much," he stated calmly as his sword lashed out.  Freed's own sword barely moved into a block position...and then he only had time to react.  "Men!  Do!  Kotei!" rang out as Uzu struck repeatedly, Freed barely being able to block the strikes even with the warning of where it was aimed.  He was relentlessly pushed back until he was forced to leap down from the rafters.

"Not fair not fair not fair!" Freed cried out as he proceeded to hop about like he was throwing a tantrum.  "Devil shits can't use holy power, and neither should human shit allies of Devil shits!  What is this?"

_"This is your time to pay!"_

Freed's face jerked up as blasts of focused sound slammed into him, draining the energy out of his Light sword even as it blasted him back.  "What?"

_"This is your judgement day!"_

As the song sent him flipping end over end, he briefly caught sight of Nonon singing into a microphone, the speakers on her shoulders blasting out solid music notes that vanished as they flew through the air towards him, having only physical presence by the time they reached despite a lack of visual presence.

_"We made a sacrifice and now we get to take your life!"_

This time the sound seemed to be sucking the strength right out of him.  "How can you do this?" he demanded as he tried to reenergize him Light sword...only to see it form rather faintly.  "What?"

_"We shoot without a gun!"_

Rapid fire blasts slammed into him as he found himself hemmed in on either side by Uzu and Yuuto, Yuuto's black blade sucking the energy out of his Light sword with every strike even as his gun shattered from Uzu's sword impacts.

_"We'll take on anyone!"_

"I call haxxxxx!" Freed screamed out as Ira and Koneko charged up through the opening, slamming their fists into him and sending his head, shoulders, and one arm blasting off into the stratosphere as the rest of him was reduced to a bloody smear.

Ryuko cracked her knuckles as she stepped in.  "Geeze guys, didn't even save anything for me?"

"You need to save your strength to deal with the bitch that took your girl," Uzu pointed out playfully.  "Right?"

Feeling anger flaring inside her, Ryuko nodded firmly.  "Right."  She closed her eyes and extended her senses.  "They're down."

"On it!" Ira replied as he raised both clenched fists.

"Wait, _what?_ " Yuuto gasped out as Koneko's eyes widened.

Grinning, Nonon simply kept singing.

_"It's really nothing new..."_

Ira brought his fists down and the floor shattered, the pews falling with them as they descended, landing on several people in black robes before an altar, where Raynare was standing over Asia.  Asia was in a white dress that barely covered anything, and chained to a twisted green cross that glowed brightly.

_"...it's just a thing we like to do!"_

"Delay them!" Raynare screamed out, and the assembled fallen exorcists drew their weapons and charged.  Nonon's song led the charge back.

_"You better get ready to die!"_

* * *

 

Ryuko let the carnage surrounding her wash over her along with Nonon's battle song.  Her entire focus was now on Asia and Raynare.  While part of her wanted to simply blast through Raynare, she could see that Asia's vital signs were failing...and something was wrong with her very soul.  She charged as fast as she could, sweeping her arms before her like blades and cutting anyone in her way to ribbons in the process.

But the delay - what Raynare had demanded - was just enough.  The ritual completed...and Twilight Healing fell into Raynare's grip.

"ASIA!" Ryuko screamed out as she slammed into the twisted cross, the entire thing dissolving as its energies were absorbed by her enraged fibers.  She gently caught Asia as she came down.  As one of the exorcists attempted to attack her, a pew landed on him and left him a bloody smear.  Ryuko gently laid her down on the pew.  "Asia?"

Asia managed to smile up at her.  "I...didn't cry...or scream..." she managed to gasp out as her life began to ebb, her very soul damaged by her Sacred Gear being torn out of her.  "I'm tough...enough to...keep up..."  Her eyes began to cloud as she went limp.

Raynare let out a gloating laugh.  "She held out hope to the very end that you'd get here in time...but just too little too la-"  Her voice caught in her throat as the entire world seemed to flinch back, Nonon's song overwritten by rageful pressure.

" _ **RAYNAREEEE!**_ " Ryuko screamed out, her voice somehow choral as a primal need within her drove the power of her Sacred Gear.

_**"Boost!  Boost!  Boost!  Boost!"** _


	23. Chapter 23

_**"Boost!"** _

As the last call echoed around the underground chamber, Ryuko slowly stood up.  The stone beneath her feet cracked and crumbled from the pressure as the pews nearest her crumbled to splinters, and then dust...save the one Asia lay upon, which seemed sheathed in golden light.  One of the exorcists charged her...only to dissolve with a scream of agony as he got too close, his essence sucked into her bit by bit like he'd stepped into the gravity well of a black hole.  Seeing this, Ira grabbed Yuuto and Koneko and moved as far back from Ryuko as possible while still being able to see her.  Uzu and Nonon quickly followed suit.

Raynare stepped back from Ryuko in shock, and her eyes drifted to the Sacred Gear.  "Th...that's just a Twice Critical!" she declared in disbelief.  "Even with how strong you normally are, it shouldn't boost you this much!  And you were weakened-"

Ryuko's right hand shot up in front of her face, fingers spread as her eyes glowed red between them, her mouth pulled back in a sneer revealing razor sharp teeth.  _**"Explosion!"**_   The bracer erupted out, spreading crimson metal to form a clawed gauntlet across her entire hand and halfway to her elbow.  Her power erupted.

* * *

As Rias and Akeno arrived through the portal, Akeno glanced up at the church.  "Well, Ryuko's friends certainly know how to make an entrance," she commented in amusement as she looked from the powdered entrance to the collapsed floor.  "I wonder what Satsuki meant about damage control-"

_**"Explosion!**_ "

Power flexed, the world flinched back, and the entire church exploded upward into a swirling vortex, its size only limited by the base still being underground.  Stone, wood, glass, and light swirled around, trapped by the maelstrom and unable to escape, echoing with the screams of those claimed by the winds.

"...that," Rias managed to get out, her eyes wide.

"...should we call your Onii-sama?" Akeno asked nervously.

"...no, call Mako-san," Rias corrected.  "She'll have better luck here."

Akeno raised an eyebrow.  "Better than one of the four Satans?" she asked in surprise.

Rias pointed to where the Destruction Energy lashed through the vortex.  "Yes."

* * *

Above the destroyed church and to one side of the all-consuming vortex, a Fallen Angel moved back, his two wings struggling to catch air.  He was clad in a grey trenchcoat and hat, and his eyes were wide beneath the brim.

His name was Dohnaseek, and on this day he would prove that he was the smartest of the Fallen Angels who had allied themselves to Raynare's cause...by running to Azazel and reporting everything that had happened in the hope he'd be merciful.  Even Mu would be better than facing _that_ monstrosity below.

* * *

Raynare staggered back as she struggled to hold herself against the vortex.  Twilight Healing glowed brightly on her hands, straining their power just to hold her in one piece.  "This...this isn't possible!" she cried out...though she barely heard as even her words were claimed by the storm of power that had erupted from Ryuko.  "You can't-"

Ryuko suddenly spun around and slashed at the air behind her with the clawed gauntlet.  The air tore open, and a torrent of icy water erupted, blasting over Raynare and everything within the storm.  She felt her hands and wrists rapidly go numb as the water blocked all sight and nearly drowned her, only a brief flash of light within the darkness.  Then the water was sucked into the vortex...

And Ryuko stood before her holding two weapons the likes of which Raynare had never seen.  They were bright crimson, glowed with an inner light and the infusion of Ryuko's own power...and looked like two halves of a giant pair of novelty scissors, but razor sharp.

Raynare staggered back, lifting her wands to ward herself...only to see that her hands were no longer there.  "W...wha...?"

Ryuko grinned as her jaw worked.  She then spat out the two rings that were Twilight Healing - along with Raynare's shredded gloves - which were caught by her waving hair before being deposited on Asia's fingers once more.

"What...are you?" Raynare screamed as she staggered back.

Ryuko lifted the blades and crossed them before her, the tips pointing up and outward to form a twisted upside down cross.  The gauntlet blazed with light...and within the maelstrom of power, Raynare saw the image of a crimson dragon.

Her eyes widened as fear and despair filled her.  "No...Seki...ryutei..."

With a bestial roar, Ryuko lunged forward and struck with the blades.  Raynare screamed as her essence was torn apart, her body dissolving in absolute agony...

* * *

...cut short by the sound of closing jaws.  _**"Claim!"**_ Ddraig's voice echoed over the suddenly silent gathering as the storm subsided.

Koneko stared around in shock.  The place was completely unrecognizable.  Aside from a few scraps of cloth from the Exorcist's robes, there was no sign a conflict had ever taken place here...and aside from the pew Asia lay upon, no sign of what sort of structure had been here.  She started to take a step forward.

Ira held her back.  "It's not over yet," he said firmly, watching Ryuko.

Ryuko turned and walked calmly up to Asia.

* * *

_You can't do anything at this point,_ Ddraig told her sadly.  _She's beyond your power to pull back._

Ryuko refused to accept that.  Kneeling beside Asia, she placed her hands on hers, and focused.  Her power gathered.

_It's not going to work,_ Ddraig pointed out.  _It would take a god to keep death from taking her now-_ He flinched back as he felt the resolve.  _No, Ryuko!  You can't handle that much power-_

His words were cut off as the primal cry echoed from deep inside Ryuko, a cry so draconic in nature that it overrode Ddraig's own mind and caused his instincts to control him, and they became of one mind that they would not let another take what was-

_MINE!_

_**"BOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOST-BOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOST-BOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOST-"** _

The whole world shook as power the likes of which hadn't been felt since the God Wars when God, the Satans, Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels had fought for the fate of humanity, since the days before Great Red had flown into the Abyss.  Ryuko's body vibrated as cracks appeared along the surface of her skin, fighting just to contain the power as the gauntlet on her arm twisted and warped.  She wouldn't last long like this, a few moments at most.  But for those few moments, she had power that eclipsed gods.

...and she knew just how to use it.

The guantlet suddenly expanded on her arm further, the twisting and shrieking of the metal echoed by the sound of her flesh being torn as it dug into her body to - for some reason - drink her blood.  Ddraig's voice screamed in pain as it declared, _**"Transfer!"**_ as a second green gem appeared on the gauntlet.

Ryuko's soul, and all the power she'd brought at her command, dove through Twilight Healing in pursuit of Asia's soul.

* * *

Ryuko found herself flying through darkness, the only sign of light Asia's soul in the distance.  "ASIA!" she screamed out as she rocketed towards the light, enough power behind her to shatter stars in her wake.  As she approached, she saw a figure standing beside Asia, cloaked in black.  She drew back her fist, ready to deliver a punch that could rock a galaxy.

The figure turned and raised a hand.  A single bony figure stopped her blow.


	24. Chapter 24

Ryuko stared in shock as her charge was stopped with barely any effort, the fullness of her vast power held at bay simply because the one she'd sought to strike willed it so.  No, not willed it so...because they did not deign to allow it.  Her eyes trailed from the bony finger up the black cloaked arm and to the face under the hood...a skull with blue stars in the eye sockets, staring at her as though she were some obscure species of butterfly.

**You are powerful,** the figure stated, its words like slabs of stone slamming together, its tone completely devoid of emotion.  **But that is meaningless here.  You cannot prevent me from taking her.**

Ryuko tensed herself, willing more and more power into her strike.  She felt her arm writhing within as it struggled to contain it, to unleash it...but nothing happened.  The statement had contained no cruelty, no feeling behind it...simply a statement of fact.  As she felt her power forced down as the finger pushed her fist back as easily as a soap bubble floating in the air - and as though she were as fragile - she realized if any emotion were in the silent voice, it was compassion...but that of the Reaper, the sharp edge.  Unwilling to accept, she shifted her power through her soul self, attempting to strike with her other fist.

**You would tear yourself, the universe, the fabric of creation itself, apart...in the futile effort to reclaim her from me?**   The figure stared at her, its other arm gently around Asia's shoulders.  Asia floated there, seemingly asleep in its grasp, at peace.

Ryuko narrowed her eyes in determination...and spoke.  "Yes."

The figure stared at her, tilting its head the other way as it beheld her...then turned as Asia stirred.  "Ryu...ko...san...?"  Her eyes flickered.

The figure glanced between the two girls.  A sigh that sounded like the breath of a grave echoed in the silence.  **You are incapable of retrieving her from here,** it stated firmly.  **She cannot return to your world as she was.  However...another comes with the means to bring her back another way, if she should choose...and if this one should choose.  I shall...wait, and see.**   It turned its gaze more firmly on Ryuko.  **You will return now, however,** it instructed, the finger shifting from her fist to her forehead and curling slightly.  **And tell your Masters you need to learn discipline.**

Ryuko smirked widely.  "They've tried."

The figure stared at her...and then began to laugh, a sound frightening in that it existed beyond the concept thereof.  The finger uncurled, giving Ryuko the lightest flick on her forehead.

* * *

Rias stared in shock as Ryuko was blasted back from Asia's body like she'd been struck by an angry god with the force of a crashing meteor.  She slammed into the opposite wall, the immense power she'd gathered extinguished in an instant.

Nonon stared at the scanner.  "She's stabilized!" she called out.  "She's...at 400% normal power level."

"So her new normal, then?" Uzu joked, though there was a tone of relief in his voice.

"Are you alright, Ryuko?" Rias asked worriedly, moving to her side.

Ryuko slowly opened her eyes.  "I will be...if you can raise Asia..."

Rias raised an eyebrow.  "You wish me to resurrect her as my Devil Servant?  That will only be possible if her soul has not yet moved on-"

"The bony guy said he'll wait."

Rias' eyes widened in shock.  She then schooled her expression.  "Well, if she does desire it, Twilight Healing would be a most useful and welcome addition to my peerage..." she commented idly as she stood up.

Ryuko looked up at Rias, at first upset about how callous she was being...then blinked as for a brief moment, she saw someone else standing there speaking so of those recruited, and of the stakes she had dealt with.  And Rias was far more willing to _show_ kindness and compassion for those who were hers.  Maybe...a bit of kindness of her own, and a bit of respect, was warranted.  "Please try...Rias."

Rias blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly.  "If she's as impressed with you as I've become, I don't doubt she'll wish to return."  Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out a crystal Bishop.  Setting it on Asia's chest between her hands, she called up the magic circle.  "I abjure thee," she began, "in the name of Rias Gremory, rise and serve me as my Devil Servant!"

The magic gathered...but nothing seemed to happen.

"...please wake up, Asia-chan..." Ryuko whispered.

The Bishop blazed with light and vanished into Asia's chest as Devil wings spread from her back.  As the light faded, her eyes slowly fluttered open.  "Ryu...ko-san?" she whispered softly.

"...Asia..." Ryuko whispered breathlessly as she moved to approach.

"ASIA-CHAN!!!" Mako screamed out as she catapulted down from above, crushing the pew Asia lay on as she glommed onto her and Ryuko.  "I was so worried about you!  ...when did you grow wings?"

Putting her face in her hand, Rias laughed helplessly.  Overall, that seemed to be the best way to react to anything with her new family.


	25. Chapter 25

Ryuko winced as she lay back in her futon, her right arm stretched out over Asia and Mako.  While the situation wasn't entirely resolved, it was quickly noticed that Asia was inseparable from Ryuko and Mako, and as such she was welcomed into both households, staying at the Mankanshoku residence.  Mrs. Mankanshoku had, of course, begun babying her outrageously and giving her motherly affection she'd - apparently - never experienced before.  Satsuki ensured she would be most welcome, and - much to everyone else's surprise - Mr. Mankanshoku, Mataro, and Guts hadn't tried to perv on her.  Asia had held up as best she could, and it was only once she was in bed - between Ryuko and Mako - that she allowed herself to cry herself to sleep with tears of joy.

Mako had fallen asleep as soon as she'd hit the pillow, and Ryuko had feigned sleep to let Asia shed her tears in perceived privacy.  She knew she would not be sleeping that night, not until the Boosted Gear withdrew into her aura.  Unfortunately, neither Rias nor Iori were able to determine when that would happen.  Even Twilight Healing hadn't repaired it, as the damage was as much spiritual as physical.  She stared at the gauntlet, and how the metal was still twisted and warped, biting into the flesh of her arm.  She knew her bones and muscles underneath were just as twisted and warped, and her D-Fiber nature was likely the only reason the pain wasn't so great as to leave her incoherent.  Still, once the gauntlet repaired, she'd be able to restore herself-

_Never...do that...again..._ Ddraig managed to gasp out, the two green gemstones in the Sacred Gear pulsing weakly with his words.

_About time I heard from you,_ Ryuko thought back, wincing as she heard the pain in his voice.  _I...guess I pushed you too hard?_

_You **THINK?**_ Ddraig managed to roar, only for the jewels to flicker and the metal shiver.  _Sacred Gear evolutions...are supposed to take time...so both Gear and wielder...can ADJUST!  Forcing the...second evolution...so quickly...after manifesting..._   The Gear shivered...and part of the metal shifted back to normal configuration.  _You're damn lucky I'm still in one piece.  You could have torn what's left of my soul apart with that stunt!_

_Sorry,_ Ryuko apologized contritely, wincing as she could feel how much damage she'd done to the spirit in the Gear, damage that would take time to heal.  _I...guess I lost my cool there..._

_That seems to be a recurring problem with you,_ Ddraig commented dryly, the pain starting to fade from his voice as he got himself under control.  _Even Death says you need to learn discipline.  Maybe if not for yourself, for how sad Mako and Asia will be if you kill yourself like this?_

Ryuko sighed, wincing as the gauntlet twisted to reorient her wrist to the proper angle so she no longer felt like she had two left hands.  _You're right,_ she thought calmly.  _I need to learn more self control._

_I'm glad to hear that-_

_I'll be more careful next time._

There was silence between them for a time.  _N-next time?_ Ddraig gasped in disbelief.  _After everything that happened, you're going to try something like this AGAIN?_

Ryuko chuckled softly.  _Hey, self-control may be missing, but self-knowledge isn't.  If the situation calls for it, I'm going to go all out and overboard again, that's just who I am.  I'll just take the proper precautions to keep us more intact next time...hopefully._

Ddraig was silent for a time...and then burst into raucous laughter as the jewel on her arm shifted around to align with the one on the back of her hand.  _Now that's more like it partner!_ he declared excitedly.  _That's the proper dragon attitude!  Protect that which is yours whatever the cost!  Just...remember you need to still be alive and in one piece to protect them tomorrow, right?_

_I'll keep that in mind,_ Ryuko thought with a chuckle, wincing as the gauntlet continued to slowly shift into its proper alignment.  It was going to be a long, painful night.

* * *

 

Asia watched carefully through lowered eyelids as she watched Ryuko's gauntlet repairing itself.  She'd heard Ryuko chuckling, and hoped that meant she would be all the way better soon.  It had hurt more than she'd expected that she hadn't been able to heal Ryuko immediately, and had dedicated herself to improving her skills with her Sacred Gear so that she'd never be found so wanting again.

Despite the joy of the welcome she'd received and crying herself out, she had still found herself conflicted over her choices.  She didn't regret choosing to be resurrected as a Devil to be with Ryuko and Mako again, to live the life they offered.  But she still had her faith in God, the faith that had sustained her through her time when she was seen as a saint...and then a witch, believing it all to be a trial sent by God...though to prepare for what she had no idea.

Ryuko's words had given her another perspective on those trials, that the reason she'd encountered so many hurdles was because she had used the power God had given her as _others_ said she should use it, rather than how her own heart and faith said she should.  If she were thus misusing the power God gave to _her_ , then the trials she underwent as a result made sense, trying to awaken her from her passive nature to make her own decisions.

While Mako had been bathing Ryuko - at Mako's insistence - Asia had found the courage to speak of these thoughts and worries to Satsuki-sama, since Ryuko spoke of her sister 'rubbing off on her' that such great wisdom came from her.  Satsuki's response had been blunt, but it still turned over and over in her mind.

_"Assuming your faith is true, and that the world goes by the will of God...either all is Fate and His Plan, and thus you should have no guilt for following it if it led to you becoming a Devil, or God made you to follow your Will and you should have no guilt for making the choices that arose from what God made you to be.  Either way, you should have your faith in God to hold you up only until your faith in yourself is strong enough you no longer need it."_

From the way Satsuki was standing as she'd said that, Asia had the feeling her actual opinion regarding 'faith in God' was a lot harsher, but she'd softened her words because she knew how delicate Asia's hold on herself was.  The idea of 'outgrowing' her faith in God was something she couldn't conceive of...but as she thought about it, she reconsidered.  Perhaps it wasn't so much no longer believing in God, but reshaping that belief into faith in herself as the Instrument of Will that God made her to be.  When she believed in herself enough, she would no longer need to draw strength from her faith in God.  Not so much setting it aside or outgrowing it, but living up to it.

While her doubts would be with her for some time, she convinced herself that she would learn to accept them over time.  And if faith in God wasn't enough, and her faith in herself hadn't grown strong enough...

...then she could always have faith in Ryuko.

With that thought, she finally let herself drift off to sleep, cuddling deep into the warmth of the shared embrace.

* * *

 

The spirit floated through the ether, observing.  It was still without solid form or substance, little more than a memory made manifest...but a destination had been found.  All that was left was finding the place where the proper vehicle would be available.

It was needed.


	26. Chapter 26

Ryuko smiled to herself as she slumped over her desk.  While Ddraig hadn't completed repairs, he'd managed to push it enough that putting a cast over her arm wouldn't interfere with what was left, and so she'd come to class with her right arm in a cast.  She'd received more surprised glances than worried glances, as apparently even without getting into fights on campus she had a reputation as a 'tough girl'...possibly from dating Mako, all things considered.  A few comments of 'you should see what's left of the other guys' reinforced that and stopped questions of how it happened.

Besides, she had other concerns.  Both Rias and Satsuki were in agreement that Ryuko's normal combat style was incompatible with her present situation, especially if word of her enhanced light vulnerability got out.  While Devils couldn't use light on their own, there were far too many ways to make Light available as an attack for those who moved in the circles they'd now face opponents from, and she could no longer rely exclusively on tanking everything she came across, especially since she would be facing foes who could match or exceed her stamina in the future.  As such, the entire morning from the moment she'd woken up had been re-training to a more evasive fighting style...and Satsuki had been especially cruel regarding motivation.  Asia had a batch of 50 croquettes Mako's Mom had made for her lunch.  She was engaged in battle with Uzu and Yuuto simultaneously, and Asia was under instruction to feed one croquette to Guts each time she got tagged.

...by the time Ryuko made it to school, she only had four, and that only because Asia had given her half her own lunch portion.

Asia's introduction to her class as a new student had gone predictably, more or less.  A cute blonde foreign girl introduced to a class of horny boys and playful, friendly girls?  She was welcomed instantly.  It was also unsurprising that Issei, Matsuda, and Motohama instantly latched onto her the same way they were latched onto Mako, and to a lesser extent Ryuko (Asia having mentioned she was staying with Ryuko and Mako probably had something to do with that).

What was a real surprise to Ryuko was that Issei showed no signs of perverted intentions towards Asia...or, to be more specific, and active resistance to letting himself be commanded by said urges.  Mako's comparison of him to Guts seemed oddly accurate, as he seemed to have decided to become a Guard Dog for Asia.  Ryuko made a mental note of that, just in case Asia ever grew sure enough in herself to decide to seek her own relationship, rather than being 'kept' by herself and Mako.  She could certainly do worse...

* * *

 

Ryuko carefully flexed her right hand as she glided through the night sky on her own wings.  Asia had pushed her studies and figured out how to channel the energies of Twilight Healing directly into the Boosted Gear, giving Ddraig the energy he needed to finish his repairs.  He wouldn't be able to activate for combat for a day or two, but he could now recede into Ryuko's aura rather than remain on her arm.  She honestly doubted anyone would question her being out of an arm cast after a single day.

Unfortunately, the attempt had burned Asia out enough that she was unable to make her contract debut as Rias had planned, so Ryuko volunteered to take the contract for her.  In the meantime, she'd left Mako with instructions to teach Asia how to respond to summoners who sought things from her in contract she did not wish to give...preferably without trying to carry a spiked club that weighed more than she did.

Finding her destination, Ryuko settled down at the door - as there weren't any windows - folded her wings in, and examined the door.  It was bright pink, with flowers surrounding the door number.  Curiously, she rang the doorbell.

"It's open!" a masculine voice declared while attempting to sound feminine, and using feminine speech paterns.  "Please enter, nyo~!"

Ryuko blinked in confusion.  "...nyo?"  Uncertain what else to do, she entered.

Inside was an ordinary apartment...occupied by a man nearly as tall as Gamagoori who couldn't be more physically masculine if he tried...dressed in a magical girl outfit in pink, white, and red, complete with frilly bows.  "Welcome, nyo," he greeted calmly, before doing a magical girl pose.  "It's Mil-tan, nyo!"

Ryuko tilted her head slowly.  "...and I thought I'd seen the strangest with the Shackle and Scourge Regalia..." she mused before rubbing the back of her head.  "Did you summon a devil from the Gremory family?"

"I did, nyo!" the figure declared, a single footstep shaking the floor.  "I had a request, so I called, nyo!"  The figure's hands clasped in a pleading position.  "I want to make a contract so I can become a magical girl!"

Ryuko stared at the figure before her calmly, letting it tick over in her mind.  "...why?" she finally asked.

"Eh?"

"Why do you want to be a magical girl?" Ryuko pressed, pulling out her cell phone and activating the App to determine proper costs for contracts.  "Pretty sure actually turning you into a full fledged magical girl like the one you're dressed as would cost more than I'm allowed to take, if for nothing else than turning you into an existing character would probably involve too much messing with copyright law..."  She glanced at the result.  "...life and soul, yeah, not allowed to take that much, and even if I did you wouldn't be allowed to enjoy what you were asking for."

Mil-tan's head sank.  "You were my last hope..." Mil-tan whimpered.  "I already tried seeking an alternate dimension, and my other self told me he found a Devil Boy who was nice and might be able to do the job someday, so I tried calling a Devil from this dimension's version..."

Ryuko quickly decided _not_ to question that.  "That's why I asked _why_ you want it," she explained calmly.  "Depending on the why, I might be able to find another way to give you what you want that _doesn't_ cost more than I'm allowed to take, or more than you're willing to give."

"Oh?" Mil-tan asked excitedly.

"So...why do you want to be a magical girl?" Ryuko clarified, following Mil-tan into the apartment and taking a seat.

"Magical girls use their powers to help people, fight evil monsters, and make a difference, nyo!" Mil-tan declared excitedly.  "They are symbols of purity, innocence, and determination!"

"Well, you're certainly strong enough to do that as you are," Ryuko observed calmly, "and I don't think a charm to make people see you as a magical girl - or simply as someone doing good for good's sake - would be that difficult or expensive, even making it self-maintaining and bound to part of your costume so you can't lose it.  Is that what you want?"

"But...but magical girls don't lie..." Mil-tan pointed out.

"They're always balancing their civilian lives with fighting magic forces, and no one recognizes them even when their faces are plainly visible," Ryuko corrected.  "Obviously, there's some sort of magic protecting their 'secret identities'.  That's not so much 'lying' as 'hiding a dangerous or inconvenient truth'."

"Hmm..."  Mil-tan turned that over for a time.  "I don't knyo..."

"Is it a question of identity?" Ryuko asked.  "Is it that you want magic that will let you become a girl?"  Mil-tan was silent, letting that turn over.  "Or is it you specifically want to work with magical powers?  Or at least powers that _look_ magical?"

"I...I'm not sure, nyo..." Mil-tan finally admitted.

Ryuko got to her feet.  "Well, get back to me when you do know for sure," she allowed, handing over her direct contact number for Devil business, which triggered a different ringtone on her phone.  "Pretty sure I can make several of those happen one way or another, and in the meantime I'll look into the ones I'm not sure on."

"Thank you, Ryuko-san nyo!" Mil-tan declared, reading her name off the business card.  "You're the best Devil ever!"

Ryuko couldn't help but chuckle.  "And don't you forget it," she said teasingly before turning to go.  No contract that night...but possibly a return customer.  Better to give Mil-tan what Mil-tan wanted once Mil-tan knew what that was.

* * *

 

The following day, Asia made her debut as planned.  For reasons of her own, she chose to wear her nun's habit for the summoning.  As she stepped out of the circle, she opened her eyes...and took in a room that seemed filled to the brim with samurai memorabilia, including an entire suit of samurai armor complete with war mask...which then stood up.

"Oh, are you the Devil?" a surprisingly cute female voice spoke from behind the war mask.

"Yes, I am Asia Argento, of the Gremory family," Asia replied, choosing not to judge.  After all, here she was a Devil dressed as a nun.  She gave a polite bow.  "What need do you have of my assistance?"

The woman in the armor bowed back, allowing Asia to see the blond curls hanging from under the helmet.  "I am Susan," she greeted in formal tones, though with an accent that revealed she was not a native speaker...possibly British, if Asia were to judge.  "C...can you come with me to get my notes from the university?" she pleaded in a frightened voice.

Asia blinked at that request, then smiled.  "Certainly!" she agreed happily.

\----

Asia kept her hands clasped together as they walked to and from the university, letting Twilight Healing give off a relaxing light to ease Susan's fears of the night, and schools at night.  It didn't take long for them to retrieve her notebook.

"Thank you very much!" Susan offered warmly as they returned to the safety of her home.

"You're very welcome," Asia replied warmly.  "I will take my leave now."

"Actually...I...I have one more request..." Susan began awkwardly.

"Oh?" Asia asked in surprise.  "What is it?"  While she was only supposed to do one request per contract, given the simplicity of the first request, she saw no reason not to allow a second one if it was equally simple.

"There's...there's a guy I like..." Susan admitted.  "But...I'm shy and can't convey my feelings..."

Asia smiled as she sat back down.  "I know that feeling," she offered gently.  "There was someone I had trouble conveying my feelings towards, but I think I managed..."

"Oh?" Susan asked hopefully.  "What did you do?"

Asia smiled warmly.  "I asked her to keep me," she allowed, a slight blush tinging her cheeks.

"Oh no!" Susan gasped out, her blush visible through the war mask somehow.  "I could never be so forward!"

Asia managed a soft chuckle.  "So what is it you would like?  Magical assistance in achieving his affection?"

"N-no..." Susan replied nervously.  "I don't want him to like me because of magic...I'd like to make him love me...because of my own feelings..."

Asia thought that over for a time.  "Do you desire magical assistance in making your feelings known to him?" she suggested.  "Perhaps a charm to give you the confidence to speak to him?"

Susan thought about that for a time.  "Maybe...no, no.  I want him to love me for me.  I don't want to have to change to make that happen."

Asia nodded with a smile, pleased that she had the courage to make that decision.  "Then perhaps magical assistance in the delivery of the message?" she suggested.  "A guarantee that he will receive, say, a love letter?"

"A love letter?" Susan asked in surprise.

Asia nodded.  "You could put your feelings into words, and a small magic could guarantee that the letter will reach him, and that should he choose to respond he will find you."

Susan thought that over for a time.  "...actually...do you think you could maybe just be there to support me when he comes to answer?"

Asia blinked in surprise, but smiled and nodded.  "Sure!"

* * *

 

Asia smiled to herself as she returned from successfully making the contract, glancing down at the picture she had as a souvenir.  A knight in full armor with his arm around Susan in her samurai garb.  Certainly an unusual couple...

"Go, Ryuko-chan!" Mako called out in a cheer as she stuffed her face.  "Dodge those blows and earn those croquettes!"

"Mako, you're eating my prize!" Ryuko screamed back as she dodged around Uzu's strike to strike the back of his head with her elbow.

"...I am?" Mako asked through a mouthful of the last croquettes.

"Don't worry!" Mako's mother called out kindly.  "I'm making more!"

...but then again, who was Asia to judge?


	27. Chapter 27

Ryuko paused as she moved to gather that day's worth of fliers to deliver, having found none there.  "Uh...aren't I supposed to deliver fliers now?" she asked curiously.

"I thought I was still doing that, too," Asia added from by her own empty bag.

Rias chuckled softly as she stood up.  "Not anymore, you two," she offered warmly.  "Flier delivering is normally the job of familiars.  The only reason the two of you were still doing it was to help you both get settled...until you were ready to get your own familiar."

"Familiar?" Asia asked curiously.

Smiling, Rias lifted her hand and a chubby bat-like creature popped into existence with a puff of smoke, flapping about her head.  "Each of us has a familiar...except for you two," she explained calmly as Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko entered the room.  "The familiar bond helps the Devil become stronger, as well as widening their ability to exert their power.  The proper match is of absolute importance.  They can also deliver messages and gather information."

"Sounds cool," Ryuko observed, glancing at the fluttering bat creature with veiled distaste until it vanished.  It was far too _cute_ for her tastes.  If she was going to get a familiar, it would need to look as tough as she was.  "Where do we get one?"

"Well, you see..." Rias began, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

This intrigued Ryuko.  They were in the old schoolhouse, and she didn't think anyone except the 'Occult Research Club' came here.

"Come in," Akeno called warmly.

The doors swung open, and a group of girls - and one guy - wearing Academy uniforms stepped in.  "Excuse me," greeted the girl in the lead.  She had dark hair, pale eyes, was wearing glasses...and immediately set off all of Ryuko's combat instincts.  She didn't recognize any of the group, though she felt she should.

"What are you all doing here?" Rias asked curiously.

"We've both acquired more servants," the girl who'd spoken continued, "so we wanted to introduce everyone properly."

Ryuko relaxed somewhat.  Apparently, this was another Devil Peerage, and one that was on good terms with Rias-

"Though we needed to wait until no humans were present," the girl continued, eyeing Rias critically.  "There seem to be a lot of humans in and out of here, despite your security."

"Those humans are allies, Souna Sitri," Rias explained calmly, "and worthy of the respect such are due."

"Allies?" Souna asked in surprise.  "Why would that be?  I know that Satsuki-san and her group are...unusual, but-"

"They were directly involved with and responsible for the resolution of the Crimson Night," Rias continued carefully.  "And as I've come to understand it, had they not intervened, that event would have triggered Armageddon ahead of schedule."

_Assuming the prophecies of the various ends of the world weren't mistranslations of warnings **about** the Life Fiber threat,_ Ddraig observed thoughtfully in Ryuko's mind.

Souna raised her eyebrow.  "I...see," she observed calmly, though Ryuko could tell she was nervous about what had been stated.  However, she quickly rallied and gestured to the young man with them.  "This is Genshirou Saji," she introduced.  "My Pawn."

Rias nodded.  "This is Ryuko Matoi, my Pawn, and liason with...House Kiryuin," she stated, plainly finding that the best way to explain the situation.  "And Asia Argento, my Bishop."

Ryuko snorted idly, not really interesting in meeting this new person, or other Devils.  "Yeah, whatever," she grunted irritably.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Asia offered happily, extending her hand to shake.

At Asia's greeting, Saji's eyes lit up and he stepped forward.  "The pleasure is all mine," he greeted warmly and a trifle awkwardly as he took her extended hand in both of his.  "What a beauty to-"

His words were cut off as an angry growl echoed through the entire room, though not seeming to come from anywhere.  Ryuko's eyes were locked on the young man with a menacing glare, and a punishing heat seemed focused through that gaze.

"Forgive my Pawn," Rias spoke quickly, gently separating Saji and Asia.  "She's rather protective of Asia and can quickly get...territorial."

"With a dragon in her arm, I'm unsurprised," Souna observed calmly.

"Dragon?" Saji gasped in surprise.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that behavior predated her Gear awakening," Rias observed calmly.  "Apologies if she's rude, the only one capable of controlling her is her girlfriend, and she doesn't."

Ryuko snorted in amusement this time.  "I'll leave you to catch up, Rias," she allowed warmly.  "Let me know when it's time to get my familiar."

"Oh?" Souna asked in surprise.  "She's ready for a familiar?"

"Her and Asia," Rias confirmed.  "We were planning on going next week with the full moon."

"That's when I was planning for Saji to get his familiar," Souna responded firmly, a bit of steel in her tone.

"Really?" Rias pressed thoughtfully, though her tone also had a bit of steel, more playful than Souna's though.  "But the Familiar Master will only take one clan to his forest each full moon..."

"Indeed," Souna confirmed dryly.

Ryuko groaned, rubbing her forehead.  "Great, more headaches.  At least tell me it will be an entertaining fight?"

"No," Rias stated firmly.  "There will be no Rating Game over this.  It wouldn't be allowed."

"...you mean I don't get to kick perv-boy's ass?" Ryuko whined playfully.

"Who are you calling-" Once again, Saji's words were cut off by the intensity of Ryuko's glower and the omnipresent growl.

"Maybe we could settle it with sports?" Asia asked hopefully, desperately trying to resolve the situation without conflict.  "I've never participated in sports before, and it could be fun."

"What a wonderful idea, Asia-chan!" Rias called out, clapping her hands together.  "Since we're in high school, let's be high school about it."

Ryuko sighed, but let it slide.  Asia was excited about it, after all...

* * *

 

The attempt to settle the decision via a tennis match between the two Kings and Queens ended...inconclusively, as they had played by traditional tennis rules rather than those used in 'Mario Tennis Aces', so racket destruction ended the game without a conclusion rather than a KO.  Instead, the decision was eventually settled via a game of dodgeball.  Asia became nervous when demonic magic became involved in the game to alter the way the balls flew.

Ryuko was disappointed.  After Honnouji Academy, the game was far too tame...and far too easy.  The victory was to Team Gremory.


	28. Chapter 28

As the warp faded around the group, Ryuko glanced around at her surroundings.  As far as a 'Familiar Forest' for Devils, it about met her expectations.  Dark red skies, twisted trees with crimson leaves, and fell lights in shadows too deep for what cast them.  She was a little put out that Mako and the others couldn't come with, but aside from the forest only being accessible via warp - which could only take those with the Gremory crest, which Ryuko's family lacked - the Familiar Master was apparently _very_ strict about 'only one family per visit', and allied families didn't count even with shared members.

"So this is the Familiar Forest?" she asked, deciding to break the silence.

"Yes," Rias confirmed.  "This is where Familiars are spawned and can be bound to Devils in service, if they agree."

"We all acquired our familiars here," Kiba confirmed calmly.

"It looks like...anything might come out here," Asia observed nervously, moving slightly towards Ryuko.

"I know!" Ryuko replied energetically.  "Exciting!"

"That's the proper attitude!" an energetic, reedy voice declared from above.

Looking up, Ryuko spotted a somewhat old man dressed in a white muscle shirt, black shorts, hiking boots, a yellow backpack, and a backwards baseball cap.  "You the Familiar Master?" she called out.

"Yes!" the man greeted excitedly.  "I am the Familiar Master, Zatouji!"  He then looked upward.  "Ah...beautiful full moon tonight!  The perfect night for familiar hunting!"  He looked back down at the group with a wide grin.  "With me at your side, you can get any familiar you want!"

"He is a professional in regards to familiars," Akeno reassured Ryuko, seeing how her expression had shifted.

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Ryuko muttered in amusement.  "I'm just trying hard not to ask about his Pikachu from when he was 10."  Akeno tilted her head in confusion, but Koneko concealed a smirk.

"Now what kind of pet do you wish for?" Zatouji called out as he continued to gesticulate from atop the tree.  "A strong one?  A fast one?  Perhaps a poisonous one?"

Ryuko decided to step up, since Asia was having trouble adapting to the intense energy.  "Asia here," she said, jerking a thumb towards her, "needs something small and cute enough she can cuddle, but magically powerful enough to act as both a protector and magic amplifier.  She's support, so she needs a watchdog type."

"Hmm!  Hmm!" Zatouji responded approvingly as he nodded his head.  "While I don't have much to say about cute, I see you know what you're doing in type matching, and the _appearance_ of weakness is not always the truth and sometimes useful!  So what type of familiar do _you_ want, smart lady?"

"One strong enough and tough enough to not run in fear at the sight of me cutting loose," Ryuko responded with a smirk as she loosened her stance.

Zatouji snorted derisively.  "You doubt the toughness of Familiars!  They are braver than you give them credit-"

Ryuko relaxed the tension in her spirit, letting her Fibers waver through the air around her.  The forest around them went dead silent as most of the critters ran from the sudden demonic pressure.

Zatouji blinked several times.  "Right...looks like you need one at least level 50 then, preferably Brave or Adamant..."  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  As he thought, a flash of lightning seemed to solidify onto his shoulder in a somewhat rodent-like form.  He idly pet it as he thought.  "Got it!  Pretty sure only the stronger Elementals can handle you.  We'll see if they'll come out!"

Ryuko hid her chuckles.  "Lead the way."

* * *

 

Ryuko stared down into the lake Zatouji had brought them to.  He'd claimed there were Undine within the lake, but none had shown themselves in the time they'd been there.  There'd been a brief moment of movement...but the moment Ryuko relaxed even a little, the movement had fled.

"Hmm..." she mused thoughtfully.  "Guess they're a little gun shy..."

"They aren't normally," Zatouji mused thoughtfully.  "Then again, most of them are Bold or Rash..."

A rustling in the leaves caught attention.  "Hmm?"  Ryuko spun towards it.

"Ohoh!" Zatouji declared excitedly, though somehow quietly.  "It looks like a Dryad has been drawn!  Incredibly rare!"

The trees shifted...and a breathtaking beauty stepped out.  Her skin shifted in the light between green and brown, and wood-like mottling along her thin limbs showed the strength of a mighty oak within.  Her hair was the orange and gold of autumn leaves, her body full and curved with autumn ripeness, and her eyes a brilliant green with flecks of gold.  She gazed hesitantly towards Ryuko.

"Now that's a rare sight..." Zatouji whispered.  "A familiar like that-"

"Sorry, no can do," Ryuko allowed.  "Mako would get _way_ too jealous if I came home with a girl like that."

"Mako?" Zatouji asked curiously.

"My girlfriend."

The dryad frowned, shrugged her shoulders, bowed respectfully, and departed.

"Yeah, probably a good choice," Zatouji observed.  "Shortly after bonding, Dryads get _very_ territorial about their masters, as well as rather aggressive with their affection.  Better match for someone single with a lot of stamina, not so good for someone in a committed relationship."

"Time for the next stop then, I suppose," Ryuko allowed ruefully.

* * *

 

For quite some time, no other familiars made an appearance, despite a thorough search.  "Looks like word's spread about you," Zatouji murmured thoughtfully.  "Familiars are probably worried-"

At that moment, a tiny blue and white dragon fluttered down and landed on Ryuko's shoulder.  "Ku-pei?" it said inquiringly, tilting its head to look into her eyes.

"Oho!" Zatouji called in excitement.  "A Sprite Dragon!  A baby dragon that uses lightning.  A _very_ rare Familiar.  About the only creature rarer to find available in the forest is a Phoenix, which will not bond to a Devil at all!  This is one of the rarest and strongest familiars you can find!"

"And a good match for the Sekiryutei," Rias observed thoughtfully.

_Not really,_ Ddraig told Ryuko in her mind.  _Right now, between your sex and my aura, he's mistaken you for his mother.  If you bonded with him, you'd have a year before he got territorial and started actively fighting you._

_Thinks I'm his Mom, huh?_ Ryuko thought quietly.  She gently picked the little dragon up.  "Small, cute, incredibly strong...perfect!"  She plopped him into Asia's arms.  "Look after Asia for me, okay little guy?"

The dragon looked up at Asia and let off a happy sound before nuzzling into her.  Asia, for her part, smiled happily and held him close.  He suddenly pulled back, turned, and sent a blast of lightning upward from its mouth, incinerating a falling slime creature.

"What was that?" Ryuko demanded angrily, drawing her scissor blades out of her magic.

"A pest," Zatouji spat angrily.  "A slime that eats clothing-"  He jerked back as a blast of raw, rage fueled magic erupted from Ryuko and incinerated several other such slimes that were hidden in the trees...along with the trees.  "Err...I know I said it was a pest..."

"I'm _half_ clothing!" Ryuko snapped out angrily.

"...eh?"  Zatouji turned to Rias for an explanation.

Rias shook her head.  "It would take _far_ too long to explain."  She turned to Asia.  "Have you thought of a name for your familiar?"

Asia paused thoughtfully.  "Umm...if Ryuko doesn't mind...I was thinking...Ketsu?"

Ryuko smiled ruefully.  "It's...alright, Asia," she said softly.  "A good way to remember-"

"Watch out!" Zatouji suddenly called out, yanking out what looked like an exorcist's staff.  "Tsukugami!"

"Eh?" Ryuko asked in surprise as everyone save herself and Asia drew weapons or magic and got into a defensive stance.  At the edge of the clearing they were in, a strange black cloud clung to the side of a tree.  "What's a...Tsukugami?"

"It's a relative of the Osakubori!" Akeno responded immediately, lightning dancing between her hands.  "It's a Yokai spirit that sometimes infests the Familiar Forest.  It seeks a worn physical object to possess so it can control and consume the wearer!"

"Keep your distance!" Zatouji barked out.  "It's strong against most magic, and very hostile!"

"So a non-magic counter's needed, then?" Ryuko asked, pushing past everyone and striding forward, flexing her wrists to loosen up her arms, cutting the air with her scissor blades.  "Let me handle it."

"Ryuko, are you sure-" Rias began.

"I can handle something that lives in clothing and tries to control and eat people?" Ryuko called back, letting her Fibers flex anew.

As she did, the dark cloud seemed to lock onto her...and dove into her uniform.

"What the-?" Ryuko gasped out as her uniform began to writhe on her body.  "What do you think you're doing?"  Her fingers curled into claws as she began to get aggressive.

"Ryuko-san!" Asia called out in fear as Ketsu glowered and tensed.

Just as Rias was drawing in her power, Ryuko's uniform settled...and one of the x-ed out eye patterns opened, shaping a red and gold eye just over Ryuko's left breast.  A powerful voice - unknown to the others, but far too familiar to Ryuko - spoke, echoing through the clearing.  " **And here I thought you outgrew your sailor uniform...Ryuko.** "

Ryuko's eyes widened as she gasped in shock.  There was only one thing it could be, confirmed as she felt genuine life in her uniform's banshi.  Dropping her scissor blades into her magic, she wrapped her arms around herself as she hugged her uniform, tears falling freely from her eyes.  "Senketsu!"


	29. Chapter 29

As Ryuko continued to clutch Senketsu tight to herself and cried in joy and relief, the others began to gather around her in confusion.  Senketsu's eye rolled towards them.  " **You might as well ask me any of your questions,** " he observed calmly.  " **It'll be a while before Ryuko's up to explanations.  You probably know how easily she gets emotional.** "

"Up yours..." Ryuko muttered without much enthusiasm.

" **At present, yes you are.** "

Ryuko let out a startled squawk.  "Senketsu!"

" **What?  You think you're the only one who gets to grow up?** "

Ddraig let out a chuckle.  " _I like this guy!_ " he declared, his voice actually audible for once.  " _The name's Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon.  I'm Ryuko's new partner._ "

" **Senketsu, as you have deduced,** " Senketsu responded calmly, his eye shifted to focus on the green light on the back of Ryuko's right hand.  " **Ryuko's original partner.** "

" _I've seen her memories,_ " Ddraig pointed out.  " _Or, some of them.  Aren't you dead?_ "

" **I got better.** **Just like Ryuko did.** "

" _And I'm certain there's an explanation there that makes sense?_ "

" **When I was woven, I was shaped by a copy of Ryuko's neural pattern,** " Senketsu explained calmly.  " **It's why we were able to synchronize so well while I was alive.  We were literally each other's other half.  Though neither of us thought in terms of spiritual, our souls were echoes of each other...and even after my death, were linked.  I thought it was just an unwillingness to pass on until I was certain she'd be okay...but when my essence reacted to her being raised as a Devil, I learned otherwise.** "

"You mean when I raised Ryuko, I raised you as well?" Rias asked in surprise.

" **That's right,** " Senketsu confirmed, his eye shifting to Rias.  " **However, unlike Ryuko, I didn't have a body to return to anymore...yet.  In the meantime, I was a bodyless spirit, shaped after my nature.  As a Kamui, I was a piece of clothing meant to be worn by another, to amplify them...and had I followed my true Life Fiber nature, to devour them.  As such, I was raised as a spirit meant to possess clothing and use it to guide and devour those who wore it.  As I did not want to devour anyone, I needed to wait until I found a vessel that could sustain me.  Since the D-Fiber content of Ryuko's uniform increased to 37% after the incident at the church, I merely needed a place where I could properly interact.** "  His eye rolled back up to Ryuko.  " **Speaking of which, I thought you'd learned self-control.** "

Ryuko chuckled somewhat nervously.  "Hey, I'm still getting used to being magic.  Last time I got a new super power, I had you along to help me.  Didn't have that this time."

" **Well now you do, so I suppose it's once again my job to keep you from recklessly killing yourself,** " Senketsu observed in dry amusement.  " **Just remember to keep your temper in check this time around.  Having my Fibers twisted is never a pleasant experience.** "

" _Oh, is THAT where the shaping of that berzerk form came from?_ " Ddraig asked in surprise, quickly passing the memory of the first time Ryuko went after Freed to protect Asia over to Senketsu.

Senketsu mused on that for a time.  " **It seems I'll need to exert a bit more control on occasion, if I'm to properly stabilize her.** "

"Excuse me," Rias pressed gently.  "Are you saying that you can...amplify and stabilize Ryuko's abilities?"

" **It is both my nature and my purpose,** " Senketsu confirmed.  " **And as long as she doesn't make me work beyond my capacity, my pleasure.** "

"I forgot how irritating you could be when you're up on your high horse," Ryuko complained, though without any true rancor in it.

"In that case, it sounds like you'd be the perfect Familiar for Ryuko," Rias observed warmly.  "As long as you don't fight on your own in Rating Games-"

" **I lack independent combat abilities,** " Senketsu interrupted.  " **My power comes out when my energies synchronize with Ryuko's, but she is the combatant.** "

"So as long as her Familiar is listed as a Treasure we're using, it should pass regulations for use in a Rating Game," Akeno observed thoughtfully.

Ddraig suddenly let out a chuckle.  " _Rias!  Be sure to ask Satsuki about what Ryuko was capable of wearing Senketsu.  I think you'll love what you learn!_ "

Zatouji rubbed the back of his head.  "Well, this is certainly the _strangest_ Familiar hunt I've been on," he allowed happily.  "But one I'll be happy to remember.  So as long as names are certain...?"

Asia nodded.  "Actually, with Senketsu back...how about Koketsu?"  The little Sprite Dragon in her arms let out a happy sound at that suggestion.

" **So he's supposed to be mini-me, then?** " Senketsu observed thoughtfully.  " **So who are you to Ryuko, Asia, that she went so far for you?** "

Asia blushed and smiled.  "I'm...Ryuko's pet, I suppose?"

Senketsu's single eye blinked.  " **And...how does Mako feel about this?** "

"It was her idea," Asia allowed awkwardly.

Senketsu let out a gusty sigh.  " **I really shouldn't be surprised...** "

"No, you really shouldn't," Ryuko agreed as she stood up, dashing her tears aside as she grinned widely, feeling...truly whole for the first time in a long time.  "So how do I go about making you my Familiar-"

A flash of green light blazed around Ryuko and Senketsu, briefly taking the shape of runic squares before being absorbed into Senketsu.  " **That's taken care of,** " he observed wryly.  " **It's merely the formalizing of the bond that was always there.** "

Ryuko chuckled warmly, turning to watch as Asia underwent the more drawn out process of binding Koketsu to her as her Familiar.  "Can't wait to see how everyone reacts to you being back, Senketsu.  I might actually get to see Sis' face fall off for once."

" **Don't count on it,** " Senketsu pointed out.  " **My infusion jumped the D-Fiber content to 65% instantly, and I'm now giving off vital signs distinct from your own.  She probably already knows.** "

"Dammit!"


	30. Chapter 30

Satsuki calmly sipped tea as she sat on one of the couches in the Occult Research Club Room, her butler and friend Mitsuzo standing by to pour more.  Across the table from her sat Rias, sipping tea that Akeno poured for her.  "So that's what happened, then?" Satsuki asked, her voice dry with just a hint of amusement audible in it.

"Yes," Rias confirmed.  "Senketsu was apparently resurrected along with Ryuko, and is now both infused into her uniform and bonded to her as her familiar.  He also appears to have struck up a friendship with Ddraig..."

"The dragon spirit inside Ryuko's Sacred Gear," Satsuki interpreted.  "I suppose that explains why the magical energy of her Fibers wasn't quite that of a Devil."  She took another sip.  "D-Fibers indeed..."

"Speaking of, Ddraig suggested I ask you what Ryuko was capable of while wearing Senketsu," Rias continued thoughtfully.  "I assume it was...impressive?"

Satsuki let off a soft chuckle.  "It would be much shorter to list what Ryuko _isn't_ capable of when wearing Senketsu."

"That could be interesting to hear," Akeno observed thoughtfully.  "It would be good to know what Ryuko's limits actually are, so we know how best to help her surpass them."  Her eyebrow twitched as she saw Mitsuzo's brows quiver in supressed amusement.

"So what _isn't_ she capable of with Senketsu?" Rias inquired hopefully.

"Caution," Satsuki responded flatly.  "Beyond that, I'll let you know if we find something."

Rias frowned worriedly.  "I don't know whether to find that frustrating or horrifying..."

"But why did you ask me here in person to discuss this?" Satsuki inquired.  "We could have easily discussed this remotely."

"True," Rias allowed nervously, "but...there is something else that is happening today that..."  She hesitated, uncertain how to explain.

"My sword is not as flammable as Uzu's," Satsuki offered calmly, a hand shifting to rest on the hilt of her sword where it lay against her seat.  "And it will take more than a pretty boy demonic fire-bird with an over-inflated opinion of himself to put me off my guard."

Rias raised an eyebrow in surprise.  "How did you know he was of the Phoenix clan?" she asked in surprise.

"Because you didn't ask Ryuko to be here, so you don't believe this is a problem that can be dealt with through overwhelming force, suggesting regenerative properties," Satsuki explained calmly as she took another sip.  "Between that and referring to Uzu's blade as flammable, it was a simple deduction."  She lowered her glass.  "And if he _weren't_ a pretty boy with an overinflated opinion of himself, then he'd be someone you'd be comfortable talking things out with rather than trying to avoid him.  I assume he will be visiting today to press the family-arranged engagement?"

Rias nodded, letting out a breath of relief that she didn't need to explain fully, and that Satsuki wasn't upset at becoming involved in this.  "In fact, he should be here-"

A golden-orange magic circle appeared before releasing a gout of flame, accompanied by a sound somewhere between a hunting bird's cry and a female scream of agony.  As the flames faded with the magic circle, a young-seeming man dressed in red stood there, his back to them so only his golden hair was visible.  "It's been a while since I visited the human world," he mused, his voice seeming cultured but plainly an affectation.  As he turned, he revealed his dark blue, angular eyes partially shaded by his hanging bangs.  "I missed you...my darling Rias," he greeted, his tone exuding overconfidence.

"The feeling isn't mutual," Rias responded flatly and irritably.

"Now don't be like that," the man continued, sauntering his way over to her and reaching towards her.  "Is it so wrong I come to visit my bet-"

A flash of light swept the air in front of him, severing the first knuckle of his middle finger just before it came in contact with Rias' hair.  "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, Rias," Satsuki spoke up calmly, "but until such time as any engagement is accepted and formalized by you, I do not believe it grants him any special privileges of touching you."

"That is correct," Rias confirmed, suppressing surprise with irritation.

The man rounded on Satsuki.  "And just who do you think you-"  He paused as he raised his hand towards her.  "W...why hasn't my finger regenerated?"

Satsuki held up her sword, where it glowed with sacred light from the strength of her convictions.  "My blade has been specially treated and forged to retard regeneration capabilities," she explained, hiding her surprise that simply exposing the blade to Ryuko's altered energies had been enough to allow it to cut off Phoenix-style regeneration.  "And I do not think much of your manners."

The man sneered, though took a step back.  "Why should I be mannerly to a mere-"

Satsuki blurred from his vision, and he felt the blade at his neck...and saw another one aimed at his crotch.  "You can mind your manners...or choose a blade to deliver its strike."

"If you delivered the upper strike, it would cause a war," Akeno pointed out playfully.

"How can a mere human move-"  The man's words were cut off as the shorter blade delivered the lower strike.

"Don't be a child," Satsuki chided as she sheathed both blades and stepped away.  "Your regeneration is strong.  The retardation should wear off in an hour or so."  She struck the ground with the tip of her sword's sheath, the loud clack drawing all attention.  "Rias, are you going to introduce me to your unwelcome asshole?"

Rias did her best to suppress her mirth.  "This is Riser Phenex, third son of the Phenex clan, one of the 72 Pillars.  And the man my parents have arranged to be my betrothed, despite my objections."

"I don't think much of their choices," Satsuki frowned as she glared down at Riser.  "Mako could clobber him if she really tried."  This caused Rias to raise her eyebrows in surprise.

Riser snarled as flames gathered around him.  "You would do well to watch your words around me, human-"

Satsuki flared her aura, projecting her pure willpower into the air around her.  Riser's flames were quickly smothered by her sheer force of will.  "Either be willing to stand up for your words, or keep them to yourself," she snapped out flatly.  "I understand there is a means by which the Devil clans can settle differences between peerages?  I believe it is called...a Rating Game?"

Riser managed - just barely - to spit defiance.  "Like I would lower myself to such a challenge against _humans!_ "

"Very well," Satsuki allowed flatly.  "Then you will give me and mine one week to train Rias and hers, at which point you will engage against them.  If they win, you will apologize for your rudeness to me, recant your opinion of humans, and declare yourself unfit to be matched to Rias and nullify the engagement yourself."

Riser snarled as he pushed himself to his feet, flames gathering in his nether regions as his rage forced his healing to restart sooner.  "And if I win, I shall take your head and those of _yours_ as a trophy!" he snapped out.

"Deal," Satsuki replied before Rias could respond.  "Until then, leave my sight!"  Riser vanished in his flames.

"Satsuki!" Rias gasped out in shock.  "Do you realize what you've done?  The only time Riser has _ever_ lost a Rating Game is by conceding to people he respected and wanted to maintain good relationships with."

"And if in a week I can't train you and all of yours up to be at least Mako's level, I don't deserve to keep my head," Satsuki responded immediately.  "Now let's see about a training ground."


	31. Chapter 31

Satsuki calmly glanced back at the group as they all marched up the mountain towards the retreat that Rias had selected for their training regimen.  Each of them was carrying a large pack of belongings to make the stay comfortable when they weren't training, everything from foodstuffs to clothing to bedding.  While some of that could be provided by the retreat itself, Satsuki had been of the opinion that everyone should be prepared at all times to be self-sufficient to have the right mindset towards the training, so everything was packed.

While Rias' group's ability to carry the packs was easily explained away by their demonic nature, they had still been amazed at Satsuki's group easily shouldering their packs that rivaled those carried by Rias' group.  Satsuki had told them this was proof that they had barely tapped their potentials, that 'mere humans' could rival them despite their 'enhanced abilities'.  The fact that Gamagoori seemed to be carrying a tank in terms of weight on his back like it was nothing underlined that.

The only ones not carrying anything were Rias and Satsuki themselves.  However, Satsuki had devised another means for training Rias that she was using herself.  Working with Rias and Iori, they had developed a specific spell form they could write on their own bodies that would force them to keep their energies at maximum output at all times simply to be able to move normally.  Rias was still adjusting to hers, while Satsuki was already moving at complete ease.  With luck, this would push Rias' power to a level that if it _did_ come down to a battle between Kings at the Rating Game, she would have enough energy to actually outlast his Phoenix regeneration.  Satsuki would still consider it a failure if it came to that, but it would be an ace in the hole to keep from losing her head.

Once they reached the retreat, Satsuki turned to the group.  "You all have ten minutes to put away your supplies, and then gather into groups for training.  Yuuto, Uzu will be training you to push your limits as a swordsman.  Asia, Akeno, Nonon will be teaching the two of you to press the limits of your magic.  Ryuko, Iori has designed a special training program to push your abilities in terms of evasion, as plainly pushing your power is not a concern, especially with Senketsu's return.  Rias, Houka has designed a training simulation for you to push your mastery of strategy and leadership, during which I will be your opponent.  Koneko, you will be training with Ira.  He has a special training regimen planned out for you."

Once everyone had affirmed that they understood their instructions, Satsuki struck the ground with the point of her sword in its sheath.  The clack immediately set her own group running, and the others quickly followed suit.  "I hope you know what you're doing," Rias murmured worriedly.

"I spent the past 15 years of my life planning and preparing to win a war against a force I knew to the marrow of my being was unbeatable, with the only thing keeping me going my own refusal to accept the outcome as predetermined," Satsuki responded firmly.  "In the end, I was victorious."

"And how much of that was because you had Ryuko on your side?" Rias asked in a needling tone.

"And now you have her on your side in this conflict, so the point is moot," Satsuki responded curtly.  "Now come.  Houka!"

"Ready to activate whenever you two are comfortable," Houka responded as he carried over the combination magic/technology simulation generator, and a campaign book he'd designed specifically for this conflict:

Ender's War.

* * *

 

"Men!  Dou!  Kotei!  Men!  Dou!  Koutei!"

The calls rang out rapidly as Yuuto struggled on the defensive to block every incoming strike and manage a counter attack.  He had been surprised that his training was against a human, but he respected Uzu's skills having seen them in action during the assault to rescue Asia.  However, even moving as fast as he felt he could, he was still being pressed by him.  "How are you able to move so fast?" he gasped out as he finally managed to lock swords with the man, the wooden blades clacking loudly with the impact.

"Wrong question," Uzu responded calmly as he slipped the clash with ease, intercepting the follow up strike Yuuto attempted before he'd even moved.  "The question is, why are you moving so slowly?"

"How are you able to follow my movements?" Yuuto demanded as he leapt back for distance, only to be forced to spin and block as Uzu was in position to attack before he landed.

"The fact that you have to ask proves that you've been slacking, coasting on your Knight nature," Uzu answered firmly as he returned to his rapid strikes.  "Push yourself!  Do you think you can strike down a god when your edge is so dull?"

"Why would I want to fight a god?" Yuuto demanded, only to be sent flying back as the next strike hit so hard that his blade shattered and the wake of the strike blew him back.

"If you aren't prepared to strike down a god, then you aren't giving every battle your all!" Uzu snapped out as he put his own wooden blade onto his shoulder.  "Now use your Gear to make another blade.  We're not done here."

Yuuto groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.  "That's the fifth sword of mine you've shattered...this hour."

"Then learn to make them as strong as your own spirit, so they don't break," Uzu stated firmly, renewing his attack as soon as the weapon finished forming.

* * *

 

Nonon played her flute as Asia and Akeno watched.  Asia watched in pleasure, eyes half closed as she swayed to the music.  Akeno watched with a raised eyebrow and a critical ear.  While the music was technically perfect, it followed no melody she had ever heard and seemed to rewrite itself whenever Nonon's mood shifted, without ever actually losing the original melody.  While an impressive feat, she failed to see what it had to do with magic training.

After a time, Nonon lowered her flute as she ended her tune.  "What's the lesson I'm teaching here?" she asked them both archly.

Akeno blinked in confusion.  "I'm...not certain...The music was lovely, but I fail to see what it had to do with magic."

Nonon smirked smugly, then turned to Asia.  "And what did you think?"

"It was the most beautiful song I've ever heard!" she breathed eagerly, still caught up in the rapture of the music.  "The song delved from the flames of hell to the vaults of heaven, to the frozen depths of the sea!"  As she spoke, the air around her became unbearably hot, incredibly thin, and icy cold in turn.  "It was as though all of creation were infused into a melody!"  Flowers sprouted in the dirt around her, growing and blooming into beauty.  "It was like hearing the voice of God!  I felt...saved..."  As she said this last, sacred light seemed to emit from her being, not harming her but driving Akeno back to avoid being burned.

As the light faded, Nonon turned to Akeno with a smirk.  "Demonic magic is driven by visualization and imagination...and yours is limited.  Asia's isn't.  The more clearly you can see something in your mind, the better you can visualize it happening for real, the more powerful your magic will be in making it happen."  Holding up her flute, she made it hover over her hand as it glowed with magical energy.  "Mine is strong enough that I'm able to do this just drawing on the ambient magic you two are releasing, with none of my own.  With as strong as you are, Akeno, your magic should unleash much stronger than it does.  It is because you're limiting yourself.  Asia doesn't.  It's time to break those limits.  Asia can visualize the Light of Creation and God in her mind simply from a melody, to the point she can call it into being despite being a Devil.  Let's see what you can do when you stop holding back, shall we?"

Akeno frowned pensively, biting her lip.  She was holding back...but she didn't want to tap that power...

"Tomorrow we'll be expanding your imagination by watching Shounen anime," Nonon stated firmly.  "There's a particular character I think you both can learn from."  She held up the box set, a massively muscled blonde man dressed in red, white, and blue on the front.

Though Akeno tilted her head in confusion, Asia grinned happily, eager for every new experience.

* * *

 

Ryuko leapt back and forth through the air, twisting herself around to evade the lasers that swept the air and the light discs that swooped around her.  None of them would actually hurt her if they tagged her, but that was part of the training.  She had a tendency to shrug off incoming blows, relying on her durability, stamina, and regeneration to recover and push through.  She needed to learn to treat every attack as dangerous, even when her senses told her it was pointless.  As such, she was training on things that couldn't hurt her, and running with a score.  She started at 100, and every moment of impact reduced her score by one, more if it passed through her.

She took a breath of relief as she landed and the simulation ended.  "How'd I do?" she asked Iori hopefully.

"...12," he replied calmly, a frown on his face.

_Ouch..._ Ddraig winced.

" **You used to be better at dodging, Ryuko,** " Senketsu observed pointedly.  " **You've gotten lazy.** "

"Then why aren't you helping?" Ryuko demanded harshly.

" **The point of this is to get you used to being better under your own power,** " Senketsu pointed out.  " **You know how much your abilities improve with my aid.  Besides, I'm still only at 72% fibers.  Even when I hit 100%, we don't know what the magical nature will do to our cooperative efforts.  You need to be able to react to anything.** "

"Not only that, I've got the settings rather low," Iori pointed out.  "You'll be using a Boost from Ddraig when I crank the settings up, and at that point you'll have permission for Promotion."

Ryuko sighed, then patted her cheeks to get her back into the right mindset.  "Again," she told Iori firmly, bracing herself as she reacted to the lights moving again.  _At least I didn't get a zero before end this time._

" _That's the spirit!_ " Ddraig encouraged her.

* * *

 

Koneko frowned in confusion as she followed Ira Gamagoori back down the mountain, well away from the retreat.  While neither of them were breathing hard and both could easily make the return trek as unencumbered as they were, he seemed to be going quite far out of the way for this training.  She paused as she felt something odd.  "Gamagoori-san," she spoke up diffidently.  "I can't feel Rias-sama and the others anymore."

"I know," Ira responded curtly.  "They know that this outing will be taking you out of their range to sense you."

Koneko hesitated briefly, but continued to follow him.  "Why is that?" she asked curiously.

Finally, Gamagoori turned around.  "Because what's going to happen here, they aren't to interfere with," he stated firmly.  "We're now far enough away that not even Kiba at his fastest could get here in time."

Koneko stared up at him nervously as he seemed to get more menacing.  "In...time?"

"To stop me," Ira responded coldly.  "Because this isn't training."  His eyes lit up fiercely.  "I'm going to kill you."


	32. Chapter 32

Koneko's eyes widened in shock from Ira's words.  "What-" she began, only to quickly cross her arms to shield from his incoming punch.  The blow struck and sent her flying back through several trees to become embedded in a large boulder, her entire body screaming in pain from the strike.  She tried to gasp, only to cough up blood.

"You should have been able to handle that," Ira stated calmly as he walked towards her, death in his eyes.  "There's power in you greater than almost anyone else on your team.  Power you have locked away, sealed away.  That is why I am going to kill you."  He threw another punch.

Tensing, Koneko just barely managed to pull herself out of the rock in time to avoid being reduced to paste by the blow.  Even so, the boulder burst into fine powder from the force, and the shockwave shredded most of her clothes and ripped into the skin of her arm, sending rivers of blood down to her fingers.  "I won't use that power!" Koneko managed to gasp out.  "I won't-"  She tried to throw a punch of her own with her uninjured arm.

Ira caught her fist between two fingers.  "And that is why I will kill you," he stated simply before tossing her at the broken trees.  She let out a gasp of pain as part of the broken wood impaled her leg from the force.  "Because there is no such thing as power someone has that they won't use.  All that means is it will come out when you're pushed beyond your limits, and then it makes you more a danger to ally than enemy."  He brought his hands together in a solid clap, sending a wave of compressed air to slam into Koneko's body, shattering the wood her leg was impaled on and sending her tumbling.

Koneko desperately struggled to her hands and feet, barely able to support herself.  "W...what?" she gasped out, confused.

"Whether because you have reached the limit of punishment you can take, or because one you care for is hurt to the point you lose your mind, sealed power _will_ escape you," Ira stated calmly as he walked up to her before casually kicking her across the clearing the one-sided battle had made.  "And when it does, you will have no control, and anyone who tries to stop you with power less than yours will be dead, no matter whose side they are on.  Friend and foe alike, dead because you would not control your fear until you could not control your rage."

As Koneko braced herself against the tree she landed against, her legs barely holding her up as her back held most of her weight, she stared up at Ira with thoughts racing through her mind.  _Is...is that what happened to Kuroka?_ she wondered silently.

"I won't let that happen," Ira stated calmly.  "I am the enforcer of Lady Satsuki's discipline, and I will not suffer such a threat to her house to continue to exist."  He calmly cracked the knuckles of both hands before drawing one back.  "For Lady Satsuki!"  His inner energy blazed as his entire body bulked up, and the fist shrieked through the air towards Koneko with the force of a meteor and the implacableness of an iceberg.

Koneko closed her eyes as she felt her death coming.  This was better for everyone.  This way she wouldn't be a danger to those she cared about.  She couldn't hurt Akeno...or Asia...or Gasper...or Kiba...or Ryuko...or Rias-sama...

_Rias leaned down towards the small white haired girl.  "It's alright now," she said softly.  "I'll take care of you from now on."_

_"You shouldn't," the girl murmured softly.  "I'm a monster.  I should be killed..."_

_Rias chuckled softly, her hand gently cupping the girl's cheek.  "But you're mine now, Koneko-chan," she whispered softly, her eyes locking onto the girl's.  "And I haven't given you permission to die...understand?"_

As the memory flashed through her mind, Koneko's eyes snapped open.  That was right, she belonged to Rias-sama.  Her body, her life, her soul, and all her power...and she did not have permission to die here!

Silver-white fire blazed over her body, instantly healing all her injuries as white-furred cat ears and tail erupted from her head and tailbone respectively.  Her arms snapped up, palms out and fingers spread, guiding the fire to form an unbreakable wall, putting all her strength into _not_ letting the incoming blow kill her.  The wall of flames that shaped was blinding to look at.

Ira's fist stopped without making contact with the wall of flame or the magic aura surrounding it.  He tilted his head calmly, examining what Koneko had shaped.  He then lowered his fist.  "I do not have to kill you now," he said simply.

Koneko blinked, stunned, as the fire she'd summoned dissipated, only some of it flowing back into her as she had not yet learned how to reabsorb all of what did not get used.  "W...what?" she stammered as she slumped down, the adrenaline crash stealing the strength of her healed limbs.

"You have unleashed the power inside of you, and you exerted control," Ira explained calmly.  "Therefor, I don't have to kill you."

Koneko blinked in surprise, and then her eyes narrowed angrily.  "This was a trick?" she demanded coldly.

"No," Ira replied calmly.  "Had you been unable or unwilling to call the power forth or been unable to control it when you did, I would have killed you.  You called it forth under control, so you live, and I will teach you to control it better."  He crossed his arms as he stared down at her, ignoring the fact that between his blows and her fire she was now completely nude.  As a member of Nudist Beach he had _fought_ naked alongside the other members of the Elite Four and others.  There was nothing erotic or unnerving about purposeless nudity to him.  "Now stand up.  Training begins now."

Koneko barely managed to get to her feet, staring up at him in surprise...and awe.  "But...but what if I lose control?" she managed to ask.  "Become a danger to...our families?"

"Then I will kill you," Ira stated immediately, as though that should have been obvious.

Koneko's eyes widened, quivering as for the first time in a long time she began to feel hope for herself...and a touch of something else.  "Promise?" she whispered quietly.

Ira instantly clasped one fist to his chest.  "On my honor as a servant of Lady Satsuki, I promise!" he declared fervently, the woods seeming to ring with the force of his oath.

Koneko felt herself starting to tear up as a flush came to her cheeks, staring up at the giant who showed her how to be whole.  Lunging forward, she clung tightly to his leg, wrapping her arms around it as much as she could as the tops of her ears barely reached his waist, and whispered, "Thank you, Ira-sempai...nya..."

Ira blinked uncertainly as he looked down at her.  "Sempai...nya?" he asked worriedly, suddenly completely out of his depth for the first time in a long time.


	33. Chapter 33

Rias sighed as she leaned back against the pillar in her skimpy negligee, letting the cold stone cool her body as she tried to relax.  The bindings were still on her body and magic, showing as exotic designs under her nightie as she let herself relax enough for it to be visible.  She idly turned the pages of her book as she studied various tacticians to learn new tricks and skills.  Satsuki had ground it into her head that there was no such thing as too many backup plans, and how dangerous it was to assume that she or her troops were ever 'strong enough'.  In the strategy simulator that Satsuki had been training her with, she had yet to achieve a decisive victory.  Every so often Satsuki would still rout her utterly when she brought in a tactic or weapon that Rias was unfamiliar with...but more often than not the battle would reduce both sides to the smallest of deployable units, only for the battle to end when one or the other ran out of resources to keep them going.  She had yet to be able to actually destroy the last of Satsuki's units, but she had finally begun to grasp the lesson Satsuki had declared from the start.  Demons fly, so battle was _always_ three dimensional.

Rubbing her eyes, she set the book aside as she let her mind turn over how the others were doing.  Yuuto was improving in leaps and bounds under Uzu's guidance, to the point he didn't realize how fast he was going anymore.  That had come to a head when he'd been serving everyone lunch and had accidentally served it undercooked because he thought it had cooked longer than it had due to a stretched perception of time.  Every second now felt like two to him, which made his combat and evasion that much better.  He'd been proud of that...until Uzu pointed out that his own dilation was a factor of 10, and that went up when he was focused.  This only pushed Yuuto harder, which both amused and unnerved Rias.  She felt there was such a thing as being _too_ competitive.

Akeno was growing more skilled with her magic, though her power output remained stagnant.  According to Nonon, there was a mental block preventing her from using more than half of her available magic, tied to some sort of trauma.  Rias knew _exactly_ what that was, and was sure it would take Akeno time to get past it.  However, recently Akeno seemed to have become obsessed with the anime Nonon had shown to 'expand imagination', one episode specifically.  She could be found watching it over and over again, mumbling, "Mine, not his..." over and over again as she looked at her hands.  Perhaps it was the beginning of breaking past the mental block...but there was a spiritual block as well, and without closure she couldn't move forward.

Asia's progress was nothing short of phenomenal.  She'd begun manifesting her magic as elemental energy, and her range and force were incredible.  While she didn't have the power Akeno did with lightning, she was far more creative with her use of power.  Seeing her cause a practice dummy to detonate from within by combining a fire and gravity spell from the opposite side of the training field had been unnerving...especially with the eagerly happy smile she got when Ryuko praised her for it.

...and then she'd done the same blindfolded and with her back turned after being spun around rapidly, with pinpoint accuracy.  She still needed to be up close to heal someone with Twilight Healing, but her speed and efficiency there had improved dramatically.  It was almost frightening how eagerly and rapidly she progressed when Ryuko praised her.  Ryuko herself had improved in her training, having managed to maintain a 'score' of 25 or more in training exercises on evasion.  Senketsu also seemed to be growing in strength, though he did not comment on it or explain it.  Ddraig, however, seemed rather ebullient over whatever they had planned, which was _very_ unnerving.

The real surprise had been Koneko.  When she'd returned from her first training session with Ira, she had been curled up in his hand, exhausted but with a smile on her face.  When she woke the next morning, she was completely relaxed and at ease, and her magic felt more at peace than it had since joining Rias' team.  She also spent a great deal of her time with Ira even outside training, either nuzzled against him or curled up in either his hand or his lap.  When training, Ira was all business with her, and the training took place so far away no one was sure what was happening.  Outside training, however, Ira looked completely lost anytime Koneko came up to him to lean or curl against him, occasionally turning a look of confused, pleading terror in Satsuki's direction.  For some reason, that always set Uzu, Nonon, and Ryuko into gales of laughter, and the first time Satsuki had let out an amused snort.

Still, tomorrow was the last day of training.  Tomorrow they would test Ryuko with a Boost and Promotion to see how her enhanced abilities adjusted to it, and to be sure she could control herself.  After that, they would be returning to Kuoh Academy, and she would face the Rating Game against Riser Phenex, and do her best to prove that Rias Gremory was and should be treated as more than the Gremory Heiress.

But if that were to happen, she needed to get some sleep.  It would do her family no good to be exhausted.

* * *

 

Ryuko braced herself as Shiro Iori prepped the equipment for her next session.  It was time to see what she was really made of.  When he looked up at her, she nodded.  "Ready."

" **Ready,** " Senketsu confirmed, his eye shifting as he wriggled to settle better against her somewhat larger frame.  She had grown since she'd last worn him, and he was still adjusting to the changes...not all of them muscular.

" _Ready!_ " Ddraig declared eagerly, practically vibrating with excitement as the Boosted Gear appeared on her right hand.  The green jewel glowed brilliantly in the early morning light.

"Beginning session," Iori stated calmly as he activated the machinery.  The projectors moved into position.

" _Boost!_ " Ddraig declared, and Ryuko felt her power double, straining at her body even as she adjusted.

"Ryuko!" Rias declared.  "You have permission for Promotion!"

Ryuko raised her right arm, gem out.  "Promotion!  Knight!" she declared, and felt the Evil Pieces within her respond, one of them releasing extra power into her.

Light emitted from the machinery, one of the lasers she was supposed to evade.  It slowly extended, the particles and wave blending as it twisted in the air towards her.  Confused, Ryuko moved towards it, stepping to one side to watch.  Picking up a stick, she pushed it into the beam and watched the disruption curiously, seeing the particles scatter and color even as the wave broke up around the intrusion.  _Now those physics lessons make sense,_ she mused thoughtfully before leaning back easily to evade the next one as it took shape.

She danced easily between the beams of light, seemingly having forever to dodge each one.  Feeling the thrill, she moved closer, letting individual strands of her hair dance around the beams without touching, and pretending to grip one like a lightsaber, even making the sounds because she knew how much that would amuse Mako.  Eventually growing bored, she moved around until she could slip behind Iori and switch the machine off.

As her power subsided, everyone had turned to stare at her.  As the Evil Pieces dropped back to normal power levels, her perception of time returned to normal.  She grinned widely.  "Well?  How'd I do?" she asked smugly.

"Score of 125," Satsuki stated calmly.  "Not only evaded every blow, but moved to cut them off successfully.  Well done."  She turned to Rias.  "It seems it's time to return."  She let a smirk cross her features.  "Make a roasted pheasant of that flaming peacock for me."

Rias couldn't help but return the smirk.  "That's the plan," she purred eagerly.


End file.
